Harry Potter and the Dark's Rise
by Marshall Angmar
Summary: This story chronicles the rise of Harry Potter, the right hand of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Features a dark Harry in Slytherin, from pre-hogwarts to the end of the war. Harry knew nothing of the wizarding world until a teacher from a mysterious school visited him and told him the tale of his father, catapulting him into a world of intrigue, politics and Power.
1. Prologue

This is a new type of story for me, I've read a lot of Dark Harry Stories, and I've found them to be excellent, so this is my attempt. I got my inspiration from a load of other stories, too many to name really, but hopefully you'll enjoy this!

I want to thank my brave and valiant beta, JohnFoxton, who miraculously managed to read through the first drafts of these stories and not have a heart attack from the quality of the writing!

I understand this story has been done before, hell I've read enough of them, but I really think I have managed to steer clear of most of the cliché's, or at least approach them in a novel manner.

The prologue is set 14 years after chapter 1.

Prologue: A Fresh Start.

The rain was lashing against the windows of Harry's office on September 2nd. Harry himself was sitting behind his desk, hurriedly attempting to learn the names of all his new students. He checked the Clock, 8.55, five minutes before his first day as a teacher.

He looked back down at the parchment, Babcock: short boy with black hair, Wilson: Pale girl brown hair. He carried on reading through the names until he heard the rumble of feet. This was it, Harry almost smiled as he considered that he was more nervous about this class then he had been about some of the battles of the war.

He picked up his lesson plan and the register before stepping out from behind his desk. The class went silent as soon as he opened his office door. Good, Harry thought, a reputation as a war hero may well keep some of the rowdier students in check… for now.

He strode confidently to the front of the classroom, hands clasped loosely behind his back. "Good Morning third Years and welcome to your first class in Wizarding Politics and Modern History."

He placed his lesson plan on the desk, first things first he thought. He read through the register quickly, all students present.

"Good, now please opens your texts to page 1, it would make sense to start at the beginning." He paused "now, 24 years ago, Neville Longbottom became the first person to survive the killing curse, Avada Kedavra, now the curse itself you will cover in more detail next year. Now, take out quills and ink, and get ready to copy this down" The class hurried to obey and when they were all ready, Harry began to dictate.

The Class had gone well in Harry's opinion, he had ten minutes left before the bell and he had managed to get as far through the material as he had hoped, as well a start several interesting and relevant debates, which of course was part of the aim of this new class, get the students to think for themselves.

"Professor Potter, Sir?" Harry looked down at the class,

"Yes Miss, uh Blakely wasn't it?"

"Yes Professor, I was just wondering, you were at school with Longbottom weren't you?" Harry stilled, this was not a line of questioning he particularly wanted to answer.

"I was three years ahead of him, but I suppose I knew him well enough. We were not friends though" Harry added the last bit quickly,

"Oh of course not, I didn't mean to suggest anything like that, I was just curious, before the war, before, well everything, was he the same as we understand he became later?"

Harry paused and took a deep breath, the war was over, but saying the wrong thing now could still get him in a lot of trouble with the new Ministry.

"Neville Longbottom is a fascinating individual, I won't say anything on him for now, as we will be having a full lesson on his exploits during his 6 years at this school and his relationship with The Order of the Phoenix next week. However, if you want to read into it further, I would recommend _'The Rise of the Dark Arts'_ by Bletchley and _'individuals of note during the Wizarding war: 1981 – 2009'_ By Davis. Both provide interesting perspectives and are on the extended syllabus reading list." Just then the bell rang, and the students stood up to leave, packing books and ink into bags.

"Homework, 9 inches of parchment on why the corruption in the ministry following the events of 1987 led to it being woefully unprepared for war." The class filed out, and Harry closed the door behind them, 10 minutes until his next class.

He had enjoyed his first class, and hopefully none of the students had been too bored, however that class had been Slytherins and Ravenclaws, which in Harrys experience tended to be the more studious of the four houses.

He stood up lazily flicking his wand to clear the previous lesson off the blackboard, a second flick and the tables and chairs lined up neatly, whilst any rubbish left behind sailed into the bin by the door. He leant down to check his class schedule, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor 5th Years.

A few minutes before the bell rang, the doors burst open, and the students poured in. Harry put down the book he had been reading and looked out over the class, he kept quiet, merely observing and when the clock struck ten, he stood, the Hufflepuffs and most of the Gryffindor's went silent, and the remaining conversations quickly stopped.

Harry mused that unlike the previous class, these students viewed him not as a Hero, but as the villain, he supposed he could play that role easily enough.

"Good Morning. Please open your books to chapter 6, I trust you all did the Holiday reading?" All the students nodded and Harry smiled, it seemed a foreign expression to his face.

"Good, then who can tell what the night of broken wands refers to?" The class was silent, "Anyone? Very well, you boy, any ideas?" The boy didn't answer, instead just glowering at Harry.

"No ideas? Dear me. What's your name boy?"

"Archie Bones." Harry nodded,

"As Mr Bones is unable to answer, allow me to fill you in; The Night of broken wands refers to the 743rd meeting of the wizengamot, when the previous chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore, in collusion with the ex-head of the DMLE had the heads of all ancient and noble houses arrested and imprisoned without trials. It was for these crimes, as well as those of treason and War Crimes that Madame Amelia Bones was tried and executed for last year. But I personally think young Archie already knew that don't you?"

Archie Bones glowered at Harry from his desk near the front, Harry raised one eyebrow with a slight smirk. They stayed still a moment, until Archie Broke.

"My Aunt was a good woman, she was murdered because she opposed Tyranny!" Archie shouted angrily. Harry Smirked.

"She was executed because she was a traitor who opposed progress. Speak out of turn again and I will have Mr Filch flog you, do I make myself clear?" the 5th year Gryffindor sagged in his seat, though he still looked murderous.

"Good, now back to the material, this term we aim to be covering the repression of dark magic in society, and the impact the recent easing of restrictions has had on crime rates in Britain."

No one spoke out of turn after that.

What do you think? In this story I aim to have very much a dark Harry, with lots of similarities to the dark Lord. As you've probably gathered Neville is the Boy who lived, and Harry is three years older. The next chapter, chapter 1 will be starting from before Harrys first year. The first three years I aim to cover in 2/30 chapters, as it will be his interactions with Neville and the gang that will begin to pressure Harry, into making his decisions regarding his future. Give me your thoughts!

MarshallAngmar


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The Morning of Harry Potters eleventh Birthday on July 31st started just the same as any ordinary day might. But then again Harry Mused, St. Hilda's Orphanage where he had lived his last 7 years would never allow one of the boys to break the routine for something so mundane as a _Birthday_.

He woke early, and was down to the dining hall before anyone else, he grabbed a bowl of Shredded wheat from the counter, and sat down behind one of the wooden benched tables. The orphanage had for the last 4 years benefitted from the patronage of a very wealthy London businessman who felt that some degree of philanthropy would do his enterprise good, whatever the reason, Harry was pleased with the situation. This had led to the entire building being perhaps not comfortable, but at least clean.

By the time the first wave of children entered the dining room, Harry had finished his cereal and was watching the children attentively. The relationship Harry shared with his housemates was frosty at best. It wasn't Harry's fault, but whomever crossed Harry often ended up in a bad way. One boy had once slapped Harry's food from his hands, and that night had fallen into a coma. That was four years ago and he still wasn't awake.

There had been other examples of Harry's peculiar ability to control things, and these abilities had, over the years developed, Harry could now command animals without training them or make people hurt when he wanted to. Naturally the other boys and staff had questioned Harry at length, but they never had proof, He could disguise his emotions well. Too well sometimes.

Aside from his mountains of book, His only real companion at the Orphanage was Cecil, a runty little boy with a large forehead and bulging eyes. Harry only tolerated his company as it amused him how easy to manipulate he was, and Cecil benefitted as Harry offered him a great deal of protection from the older boys.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" Called a voice from the door, Cecil bounced over to his table, left conspicuously empty as the rest of the room started to fill up,

"Thank you Cecil, I trust you slept well?"

Cecil, as always when Harry took an interest in his life, beamed, "Very well, very well thank you"Harry smiled slightly. "I got you a present, it took all this year's savings, but I think you'll like it."

"That was very kind, do you have it with you?" The smaller boys smile didn't fade a bit.

"No no, it's in my room, I thought… if you wanted, we could maybe use it this morning" Harry nodded, and Cecil settled happily into his bran flakes.

"Here you are" A Large rectangular box was thrust into Harry's arms. He held it up to his ear and shook, Cecil grinned, "Just open it for pity's sake!"

As the wrapping paper was thrown to the ground Harry was left with a cardboard box with the words _"Risk: The Ultimate strategy Board game_." Harry cocked his head and looked at Cecil,

"It's a strategy game Harry!" Cecil grinned

"I am aware of that, I can read." The small boy flushed,

"It's a game, you pick a country and then fight other people to try to take over the world. I thought it would be a level up from that chess board we always use!" Harry smiled, he had been a great fan of strategy based games and situations for as long as he could remember, and this gift would certainly allow him to exploit his passion.

"Well come on then Cec, lets open it up!" Cecil immediately tore of the plastic outer coating and pulled the lid of the box,

"Pick a colour Harry"

"Red." Harry answered as he peered at the small figurines in the box. Cecil chose green and together they set up the board. Soon they were thoroughly engrossed in the game, as in their chess games, Harry was wiping the floor. Europe fell to the red soldiers, followed by North America, South America, Africa and most of Asia.

To Harry the board was awash with possibilities, and Cecil's rapidly thinning troops were unable to keep up with Harrys Voracious appetite for conquest. The first game was over in 40 minutes. They played again, this time Harry won in 30.

"One more Harry, I can't handle being destroyed too many times in a day!" Harry grinned apologetically and they reset the board.

This match Harry played differently. Whereas before, Conquest had been Harry's goal, this time he attempted to minimalize his casualties. Thus over an Hour later, Harry commanded only 2/3rds of the board, however his armies were more than three times the size of his enemy's. Cecil had just launched a last hurrah invasion of Africa, in which Harry had easily trapped and massacred Cecil's best effort with minimal casualties when the door opened.

"Harry are you in here? Ah, Cecil, good morning," the Matronly head of the orphanage, Mrs Phelps, poked her head around the door. "Harry you have a visitor, from a school your parents put you down for."

Harry's looked up at the door, the gleeful expression he had had at the possibility of destroying Cecil almost immediately replaced by an innocent look of confusion. The Matron shuddered at the boy, he had been nothing but trouble ever since she took him in 7 years ago.

The woman behind her was old, with her steel grey hair bound into a tight bun behind her head, she had a severe, if fair expression on her face.

"Mr Potter, My name is Minerva McGonagall, I am a teacher from a school where we would like you to attend." Harrys face remained politely puzzled, however his eye showed a shrewd cunning that Minerva had never seen on one so young, it was neither malicious nor friendly, it was… unnerving.

"Yes yes, we will leave you two to chat, come now Cecil, you can play your game later. Come come." Mrs Phelps called. Cecil left, promising to clear up the game later. Harry ignored him, but pulled out a chair for the teacher, and sat across from her at his small desk for homework.

"Mr Potter, I represent a… special… school, in Scotland called Hogwarts" she paused to take a breath when Harry interrupted her,

"Special how?" the words were spoken calmly, but Professor McGonagall couldn't help but sense that what she had said had set him on edge.

"Special as in it is for Wizards and Witches, that is to say, practitioners of magic." Harry's eyes flickered from the _Risk_ board, where he had been silently reviewing strategy, straight back to the teacher. Neither said anything, She waited for him to react, he waited for her to either laugh off her poor joke or expand. Finally,

"Your Mother and Father, before, well, before they couldn't take care of you they placed you on our lists. Have you ever managed something incredible, impossible or unexpected when you felt strong emotions?" She looked at him, seeing as how a fire suddenly lit in his eyes,

"So it's magic? I can do magic?" McGonagall nodded and Harry smirked "I always knew I was different, they could never keep up with me, no wonder if they were lesser beings." He said this mainly to himself, but McGonagall interrupted,

"Would you like a demonstration of what we can do?" Harry's nod came at once. And the aged professor smiled before pulling out her wand. She noticed Harry's eyes stick to the thin stick of wood in evident envy. She gave it a wave and all the chess pieces on Harry's board started to sing. Harry blinked then grinned, a wide toothy smile.

"May I take it you are interested in pursuing your education at Hogwarts?" asked McGonagall,

"I am certainly interested in gaining a magical education professor, however I feel I would be a fool if I took the first opportunity presented, forgive me, are there any other magical schools I could attend?" He said this with a humble and embarrassed look on his face, and if McGonagall hadn't been paying such close attention to his eyes she would have fallen for it. She sniffed haughtily,

"There are _other_ schools, certainly, however none are in the same league as Hogwarts in Britain, as for international schools, most of them tend to be rather… selective in their students." She said this as though it were a great strain for her.

"Forgive me professor I did not mean to infer your school to be any less than exemplary." McGonagall looked appeased.

"Anyway Harry, your parents did leave the school adequate funds to put you through your education before the uh, incident." Harry looked at her, for the first time a look of genuine puzzlement on his face,

"Incident professor, forgive me, I know nothing of my parents before they died, and would certainly appreciate any insight you could offer." The grey haired witch suddenly appeared strained.

"Mr Potter, Harry, Your parents, well your father, is not dead. He is… he… I am afraid he has been incarcerated, he is in Azkaban. The Wizarding prison, where he has been for the last eight years. I am sorry to tell you this." Harry looked down at his lap, his gut had clenched tightly, his father was a criminal. He opened his mouth to speak, but to his embarrassment his voice wouldn't come to him.

"Why?" It was all he could manage, the single syllable sounded horribly forced to the boy who prided himself on being able to bluff through any situation.

"I should start at the beginning Harry, It is a long story, but I hope you will forgive me if I give you a far more condensed version. It is not wholly appropriate for a person as young as you are."

Harry nodded and the professor leant back, before continuing.

"Harry, you were born on the 31st of July 1978 to James and Lily Potter. Your mother was one of the best witches, best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and your father, well I had thought him a good man also. I know for certain that when you were born both your parents loved you very much. However at the time of your birth, there was a war in magical Britain. There was an evil, dark wizard who wished to control all of Britain. And he was willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals of domination and subjugation." Harry raised his head,

"What was the dark wizard's name?" his voice was strained, but steady.

"His name, although I do warn you, it is not said in society often if at all, is Vol... Voldemort" she gave a small shiver "and he had radical views on Blood Purity. He believed that only wizards and witches with _Pure Blood_, that is to say two parents with all magical ancestors were worthy of living in magical Britain. When he was in school, yes, he was a student at Hogwarts too," she mentioned when Harry's eyebrows rose, "When he was in school, he was an exceptionally charming boy, with a brilliant mind and a passion for knowledge. I did not know him personally, as the year he left was the year I began teaching, however he was held in great esteem by most every student who knew him. However, many years later, he returned to the public limelight, but now as Lord Voldemort," she twitched again. "A terrible leader with an army of sympathetic wizard's, witches and beasts." She paused and took a long breath.

"When you were born the war had been raging for many years. There had been thousands of casualties and most everyone was desperate. The first few years of your life you lived with your parents in hiding. However when you were 2 years old, Neville Longbottom was born. Now no one knows why, but as soon as this happened, the Dark Lord began targeting him to kill him." Harry looked surprised, and opened his mouth as though to speak, but then quickly closed it again.

"Neville and his family were put into hiding and the Dark Lords efforts were frustrated for over a year. However, on Halloween 1981 Your Father betrayed them. He was one of the very few people who knew their location, and he freely gave this information to the Dark Lord. That night the Longbottom's were attacked. Frank and Alice, Neville's parents, were both killed. However Neville lived… somehow he survived where no others did and in his survival, the Dark Lord was slain. Whether he is dead or merely in hiding is a matter of much discussion, however what is known is that two of your father's friends, Sirius Black and Algie Longbottom went to apprehend James and bring him to Justice. He killed Algie and seriously injured Sirius. But he was captured and imprisoned."

"What happened to my mother? Or was she in league with my father?" McGonagall's cheeks tinged red and her nostrils flared.

"Your Mother was _not _involved with your father. However when word got out of your fathers crimes there was a public backlash," she sniffed loudly, her eyes glistened, "a mob attacked your house, Your mother got you to safety, but she… she was killed in the process." The normally stern witch's cheeks were blotchy and Harry wondered if he should comfort her.

"You were sent here so no vengeful wizards could attack you like they did your mother."

McGonagall finished her story and silence enveloped the small room. Harry sat stock still his eyes fixed firmly ahead, McGonagall conjured a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes and nose. A few minutes went by. Before the Scottish witch tried to unsubtly change the conversation topic,

"So Harry, shall we get your school things, there is a magical alley in here in London." She looked at Harry as he nodded slowly, then shook himself.

"I shall get my school things. You may leave, I would appreciate directions however." The aged professor looked set to object, but then appeared to decide against it.

"Very well, I understand you wish to be alone." She withdrew from a fold in her clothes a thick yellow envelope and a small golden key.

"This contains a list of what you shall need, as well as a train ticket and directions to the platform for the Hogwarts express." She put the envelope on the table, "and this is a key to the Hogwarts Bursary vault. I am afraid your family vault and all your family's properties were seized by the government." Harry's lips tightened slightly but he nodded.

Silence enveloped them once more, before the professor stood and made her way to the door. "I am sorry to bear such terrible news Harry, though I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts." Just before she had almost left when Harry stopped her.

"Professor. What sort of treatment should I expect from Wizards?"

"It will not be easy Harry, but no one knows what you look like. I would suggest anonymity is your best weapon at this point." With those foreboding words she left.

Five Minutes later Cecil entered, peeking his head around the door. "Harry?" The raven haired boy didn't move. "Harry?"

"Get out Cec." Cecil didn't move, but looked at his only friend concerned.

"I said LEAVE!" Cecil actually recoiled at the vicious look in Harry's eyes. His voice was filled with rage and Malice and he scrambled to obey. Hurriedly shutting the door behind him. Harry sighed and picked up the yellowed envelope. Flicking through the sheaves of heavy parchment, he stopped on the one with directions to Diagon Alley.

The Pub which claimed to be the only entrance to Diagon Alley was not much in Harry's opinion. The floor was stained and the counter dusty, there was a smell of old beer and stale tobacco over the whole room and Harry wrinkled his nose. "Can I help you lad?" came a friendly voice.

Harry turned to see a bald, stooping man grinning at him, a rather horrifying sight, seeing as how the man had only one wonky yellowed tooth. However Harry smiled politely,

"I'm looking for Diagon Alley, am I in the right place?" his voice was casual, whilst the hood he had covering his face kept him obscured.

"Course Lad, this is the place, the entrance is round the back, follow me, follow me." They left the bar, and entered a yard at the back, filled with dustbins and smashed bricks. "Pay attention to the sequence, get it wrong and you'll feel a right muggle." The man gave a wheezy chuckle and then tapped a series of bricks in the high wall before them.

Before his almost disbelieving eyes the wall disintegrating, leaving an archway to a wide street filled with brightly coloured shop fronts. "Well this is Diagon Alley lad, come by the pub for a spot of tea later if you like." The old barman said with a smile before returning to his shop.

Harry stepped forward, eyes darting from side to side, barely maintaining his composure. He shook himself. Plenty of time for sightseeing later he thought. He strode purposefully towards a white Marble building that was larger than any other in the alley, if the letter was correct, this was the bank, Gringotts.

Stepping through the high doors into the cavernous bank entrance. Harry let his eyes take in the sights, incredibly high and wide, Harry thought the entire orphanage could fit into this room. He smirked, before joining one of the long lines of people queuing for service. As he slowly moved forward, he saw the tellers were not men, but instead were short humanoids, with long pointed ears, long fingers and large eyes. 'Goblins!' Harry thought, remembering his letter.

Reaching the front of the queue, he tried not to stare at the bored looking goblin before him. "Key." Harry offered the small key he had been given and the goblin gazed at it for a few seconds before nodding. "Riptooth!" he cried and another Goblin scurried over. "Get me a sack from the Hogwarts Bursary fund. Quickly!" the Goblin scurried off and a few moments later returned with a small leather purse. "50 Galleons. Here is your key. Next." Harry was pushed aside by the next customer and quickly pocketed the purse and key. He felt hopelessly out of his depth, a feeling he didn't like one bit.

He made his way outside before wandering over to a large bookshop nearby, the sign Flourish and Blotts hung above the faded green door. "Can I help Son?" asked a portly gentlemen who stood by the door. "I would like the first year Hogwarts books please" Harry asked politely, "and also any books on the Wizarding world, the government, culture, money and the like." The man looked at him,

"Muggleborn eh? No problem, we have first year book sets in row 10 and Wizarding world books are row 2, anything else?" Harry shook his head and the man nodded before heading back to the counter.

The next two hours of the morning Harry spent devouring books in the bookshop. He quickly learnt about Wizarding money. The money he had would be adequate for his school purchases with maybe a little left for extras. He had since read a _brief introduction to government_, which in his opinion was _too_ brief, but he didn't help much, but the other books on the topic were too big to read properly.

Thus he was now sitting on one of the stools provided reading about the Wizarding war. He wanted to know what his Father had believed in, but the book wasn't helpful, providing a partial account of events. Harry sighed, _History is written by the Victors_, he thought ruefully. He read the book anyway, it wouldn't do for somehow to shock him at a later date by being more knowledgeable.

Around 3 in the afternoon, after 3 hours of intense reading, Harry stood up, purchased his first year books, and continued shopping, he hurried through the rest of the shops, quickly getting his cauldron, potion ingredients, trunk, telescope and robes. He looked down at his list. Parchment, Quills and Ink, and a Wand he thought to himself. He saw a stationers two shops away and soon all that was left was his wand.

Ollivanders appeared to be the only wand shop in the street and Harry made his way over. He opened the door and the bell tinkled, there was a family being served and he settled down to wait. Before too long, 3 red heads entered the store, a matronly looking mother and two sons who appeared to be twins. Harry kept his face in shadow and tried to remain inconspicuous, it appeared to work, for as the first family settled their bill, the red heads stood and approached the counter.

"Ah Mrs Weasely, how lovely to see you in here again, your sons have grown" said the white haired shopkeeper in a soft voice, "However, it is Mr Potters turn to be assisted, he has been in longer." Harry blinked as the man's pale eyes came to rest on him. The Matronly redhead turned and when she saw him seemed to swell.

"Mr Ollivander" she said loudly, "Is it wise to be providing _him_ with a wand? You know what his family did!" Harry glowered, but internally knew this was to be expected, his family name wasn't the best in Britain after all. The books he had read had rather reinforced that idea.

"Mrs Weasely, forgive me, but you should not judge the son for the sins of the father. Do not let one bad apple sour your opinion." The pale eyed shopkeeper said in his creepy voice. The twins on either side of the woman were looking at him curiously, but not hostilely.

"I'm Fred, this is my brother George." Said the first brother. "Starting Hogwarts this year?"

Harry nodded and the twins smiled again. Harry "We have three elder brothers, Bills already graduated, but Charlie and Perce are still there." Before Harry could reply, Mrs Weasely seemed to notice what her sons were doing.

"Get away from my sons! Fred, George get over her NOW!" she screamed with a hysterical note in her voice. Before Harry could respond with some choice words he had on the tip of his tongue, Mr Ollivander interrupted.

"Let's get you a wand shall we? Well come on, step up here." Harry did as he was bid, eyeing the Weasely woman warily. He didn't like the way her hand was edging towards a fold in her robes, doubtless concealing her own wand. When he returned his attention to Mr Ollivander, the tape measure had dropped to the floor and the man was returning from between two shelves with a high stack of thin boxes in his hands.

"Let me see, let me see. Elm and Dragon heartstring. 9 inches, pliable, good for charms." Harry took the wand, and at the encouragement of Mr Ollivander swished it through the air.

Nothing Happened.

Mr Ollivander smiled at this, and opened another box. "11 inches, Unicorn hair and oak. Swishy, also good for charms." Harry waved this one and Mr Ollivander yelped as the hem of his cloak caught fire. "No" he cried, hastily waving his wand over the flames, restoring the cloak as though the fire had never existed.

"Dragon Heartstring and Willow, 10 ¼ inches. Excellent for defensive magic." Again nothing.

After 10 minutes of failed wands, Harry was beyond frustrated. However Mr Ollivander appeared to be having a wonderful time. "Tricky customer hmm, well let me see, let me see, when you do accidental magic, has it ever been partial to a particular element?" Harry thought back,

"Well, I can make a room very cold when I'm angry, and if I concentrate I can set things on fire." He saw Mrs Weasely look faint. But Ollivander nodded a few times.

"Hmm, fire and air. Okay" his hands dithered over the remaining pile of wands before him, before discarding half the boxes. "And your magic, does it normally affect a specific object or the general environment?"

"Both really." Harry replied

"Neither one is more frequent?" Asked the wand maker, Harry shook his head. A dozen more wands were discarded from the pile until just three were left. The first wand was a disaster, smashing a vase on the counter.

The second wand produced no discernable result, and Harry looked down at the third nervously.

"Phoenix tail feather and yew. 12 ½ inches, unyielding, excellent for offensive spells." Harry picked up the wand and immediately felt a warm feeling surge travel up his arm, blue and black sparks flew from the tip and he laughed, exhilarated beyond belief. Mr Ollivander looked at him curiously.

"Curious, but not surprising I suppose, look after your wand, do not feel pressured into any path. Make your own destiny. The wand is 11 Galleons please." Harry ignored the old man's parting words and left the sum on the counter. His money bag now almost empty, he pocketed it and left the Stale shop.

September the first dawned like any other, and for most, life in the orphanage carried on as normal. For one particular eleven year old however the day was anything but normal. Harry woke before his alarm with a smile on his face.

He wasn't naïve, he knew there would be a faction that would hate him, but Harry was brilliant. He would figure something out, he always did. His heavy trunk was packed to the seams with clothes, books and the few personal possessions he owned. As he slipped out from between the coarse cotton sheets he shivered.

He had left the window open the night before and the cold September air had left the entire room frigid. Harry sighed, slipping his feet into a pair of comfortable shoes before picking up a toothbrush and his other essentials. No one else was in the bathroom when he arrived and for this he was grateful. He didn't enjoy the communal aspect of his living. He was one of the few children who possessed a single room, no other student wanted him near whilst they slept. Harry smirked, it hadn't taken long to teach the students respect.

When he reached the dining room for breakfast the other students had already arrived. Harry sat alone as usual and tucked into a meal of toast and scrambled eggs. The room was loud around him, but the raven haired wizard tuned out the noise. His eyes were on the large clock on the wall in front of him, as he waited for the minutes to tick away. He sat still glaring at the clock for over an hour, before eventually the clock reached 9.30. He stood, his stiff joints creaking. Mrs Phelps helped him carry the trunk into a waiting taxi and gave him his allowance.

Harry wasn't an idiot, he knew the woman, hell most of the occupants of the orphanage would be delighted he was going. Except Cecil he mused to himself, he briefly wondered if he should say goodbye to the bye, but dismissed the thought quickly, Cecil meant little to him, he would not waste his time with people who were going anywhere. The Cab pulled away, heading towards the nation's capital.

The taxi pulled into the busy station and assisted Harry shifting his trunk to one of the trolleys, the man gave him a smile, assured him that Mrs Phelps had already settled his bill and drove away. Leaving Harry before the large stone building. He pulled the crumpled parchment with instructions out of his pocket and pushed his trolley forward.

"_platform 5, platform 6, 7, 8 and 9"_ Harry stood still for a moment, the barrier before looked very solid and Harry was hardly prepared to rush into a potentially embarrassing situation. Slowly he pushed the trolley forward until it was an inch from the barrier. He paused again, pulling the instructions from his pocket again, he was just rereading it when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I don't mean to hurry you lad, but there is a queue you know, the train leaves in 20 minutes, I'd rather like my boy to be on it." Harry flushed slightly, turning around he saw he did indeed have a queue of disgruntled looking children and amused parents behind him, he forced out an apology, closed his eyes and took a step forward. Then another, then another. When nothing stopped him he carried on forward opening his eyes, inside the barrier it was very dark, but a few steps later he came out on the other side.

The platform was long, and decorated elegantly with stone carvings. The track looked old in design, but the magnificent scarlet train upon them looked brand new, steam was slowly issuing from the chimney at the front, whilst hundreds of children were scurrying around. Parents tearfully hugged children, and hefted trunks up the steps to a carriage, meanwhile attempting to dodge the veritable menagerie of cats, rats, owls and many other pets who were present.

Harry took all this in quickly, before he pulled his hood up to mask his face and lugging the trunk forwards. He reached the penultimate carriage and bent his knees to try and get his belongings up the steps.

It was a futile effort, the trunk was barely leaving the ground. Harry pulled again and would have slipped and fallen if not for a hand reaching out and grabbing the strap on the trunk. Together he and his saviour successfully manhandled the case onto the carriage, he turned to thank the man who'd helped him out, it was the man who'd spoken to him at the barrier.

"Thank you sir." He said respectfully, the man smiled kindly,

"No problem lad, the names Amos Diggory, is this your first year?" Harry nodded and Amos pulled his son forward,

"This is my boy, Cedric, he's starting his first year too. Are you a Muggleborn?" The question surprised Harry, but he shook his head,

"Halfblooded sir. But my parents are um, away" He prayed the man would leave him alone and luck was evidently with him that day.

"Sad, well why don't you and Ced find a compartment, the train leaves in five minutes." He gave Harry another wave before helping his son with his trunk.

"Good, Ced, write often, you know how your mother gets, she will expect constant information, don't leave her wanting alright lad!" Cedric laughed and then the two new first years moved their trunks into a compartment,

"What's your name then?" asked Cedric curiously, Harry still had his hood slightly up. He imagined no one would know what he looked like, but he would cross that hurdle when it came up.

"Harry, your Cedric Right?"

"Cedric Diggory, at your service" Cedric gave a short bow and Harry gave a small smile.

"Have we met before Harry? Your face is familiar…" Harry shook his head,

"I doubt it, I grew up on a muggle orphanage. I only discovered magic in July." The Wizard opposite him whistled.

"That must have been a surprise!" Harry shook his head ruefully.

"That day was full of surprises. Learning about magic was almost a small sidenote" Cedric peered at him slightly confused. But his eyes cleared shortly. _Trusting_ Harry thought, _But kind_.

"So, have you read all your school books?" Cedric asked. Harry nodded,

"All bar the astronomy one, I just wish I had more books. I feel very much unprepared for this world. I know nothing of the politics customs or anything. I am afraid I may look a fool!" Cedric nodded understandingly.

"It must be weird. Did you not get books on the subject?" Harry sighed, shaking his head.

"Sadly the Hogwarts Bursary fund does not contain much in the way of extra spending money."

They spent the next hour or two speaking in relative comfort, a few people poked their heads in the door, but no one stayed, Harry got a few lingering looks, mostly by the upper years, but no one said anything.

Around Lunchtime, An elderly lady pushed open their door.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" she asked kindly, Harry eyed the trolley, it was filled with a combination of bizarre looking sweets and cakes, and a selection of sandwiches.

"What could I get for…" he emptied his money bag into his hand, it was a pitifully small pile, and the witch sighed,

"Not much I'm afraid dear" Harrys chin rose, and he glared at the seat opposite. Putting his money pouch back in his pocket, he forced a smile to the trolley lady and sat back in his seat.

"I'll get two ham and mustard sandwiches and two pumpkin juices please" Cedric spoke up from next to him, Harry eyed him in shock as he pulled a bulging pouch from the pocket of his jeans.

"Here you go Harry, have you had pumpkin juice before?" Harry shook his head dumbly. Nobody had ever bought him anything before. Except Cecil, and he barely counted as human in Harrys eyes, the wretch.

"It's good, they sweeten it a lot when you get it bottled, but homemade always tastes better. My Mum always makes litres every year and then leaves it in stasis." Harry took a sip of the orange liquid.

"It's different" Harry spoke carefully. "It is quite sweet though" Cedric had been watching him closely.

"Like I said, not as good as Homemade, but drinkable." Harry nodded and smiled.

"Cedric, there's something I have to tell you." He paused. "You're the first person who I would say is my friend, I barely know you, but you seem like great guy." Cedric looked at him confused,

"You didn't have friends at the orphanage?" He asked slowly.

"No, not really, but that isn't the point of this. Ced, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but you should know, I'm Harry Potter. My father was James Potter." Cedric recoiled and Harry's chin rose defensively. "I am not ashamed of my Father. I don't remember him."

Cedric said nothing, only looking at him slightly cautiously. His eyes flickered to the door of the compartment before returning to Harry's. He took a deep breath. Harry squared his small shoulders.

"I don't hate you for this Harry, I'm slightly concerned. But surely an eleven year old who doesn't know his parents cannot be judged for his Fathers acts?" He shook his head. Before a small smile crossed his lips and he stuck out his right hand.

"I'm Cedric Diggory, Pleasure to meet you." Harrys chin rose and he released the breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"Harry Potter, the pleasure is mine." They shook hands and Harry allowed himself to relax. He took a deep breath. It had been a risk telling Cedric, one of the few times in his life he made a decision without considering every outcome. He cursed himself for being in such a vulnerable position.

"So, what do you know of Hogwarts Harry?" Cedric asked, Harry laughed.

"Subtle Ced, but thanks. Next to nothing really. I read the letter they give to new students and the first couple of chapters of _Hogwarts: A History _in Diagon Alley. But that only covered the founding of it."

"Well then, allow me to begin your education of the Wizarding world." He sat back in his seat and looked out of the window before continuing. "The four school houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. I don't know how each student is chosen for their house, but It's something to do with personality."

"Gryffindor's are supposedly the Brave self-sacrificing ones, Ravenclaws are the smart students, Hufflepuff is the Loyal House, where hard work and loyalty is chosen, and Slytherin is for the ambitious and cunning."

Harry nodded slowly, processing the information. From what Cedric said, he would fit into Slytherin best, he was neither obsessed with book learning, heroic and brave and he certainly wasn't loyal. "How many students are at Hogwarts?" he asked

"I'm not sure, several hundred though, I guess we find out when we get there."

"And does the school play uh… Quidditch?" Cedric laughed

"Yeah, there's an inter house cup each year, and any student can try out." His eyes had lit up as he spoke about the sport.

"You play?" Harry asked,

"Seeker." Cedric confirmed, at Harry's puzzled look Cedric began to launch into a full description of the game. After that it moved onto the British Quidditch league, and then onto the international circuit, Harry paid close attention, absorbing all the knowledge he could about this new world. Eventually Cedric seemed to run out of things to say and fell silent.

"I'm impressed Ced, 90 minutes of pure talking. That was interesting, thanks." Cedric beamed at him, still riding his Quidditch high.

"Do you know any of the teachers at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, Cedric nodded his head.

"Well McGonagall teaches transfiguration, Dad says she's really strict, but fair to all students. Then there is Professor Sprout, she teaches Herbology, she's a friend of my parents, and shes really nice. Just don't mess up her plants!" Harry Laughed as the lecture went on.

As it grew dark outside and the yellowed gas lamps in the compartment lit up, the two boys changed from their normal, _Muggle_ Harry corrected himself, clothes into the Robes of their uniform.

The rest of the journey passed in companionable conversation. Around 7 in the evening, the train pulled into a dark platform, there was a little drizzle falling outside, but nothing serious. The two boys got off the train and stood on the platform looking around.

"Firs' Years. Firs' years Over 'ere!" Came a great booming voice, halfway up the platform stood a giant of a man, at least 12 feet tall, in his hand was a bright lantern. Harry looked at Cedric.

"That must be Hagrid, the Game Keeper, Merlin, he's enormous!" Cedric said awed. The two boys joined the rapidly growing crowd of terrified looking first year around the Giant.

"Right, I think tha's all of Yeh's. Now Follow Me." He led down down a winding path to a vast lake.

"No More n' four to a boat. Hop in!" They all got into the boats, Harry and Cedric ended up with a girl with long brown hair and a boy tall blonde boy.

The fleet of rowboats suddenly started forward, gliding noiselessly through the water towards the enormous brightly lit castle ahead.

After arriving at a dock, and unloading the first years were transferred to the custody of Professor McGonagall. She led them through a vast entrance hall, just as big as the hall at Gringotts, this one was lit by thousands of floating candles that hovered just over their heads.

"In a moment you shall all be sorted" Began Professor McGonagall, "There are four houses to go to, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and whilst you are at Hogwarts they will be like your family. Good deeds or excellent work in class will gain you house points, whereas any rule breaking with lose points." The first years listened intently.

"I suggest you smarten up. I will return in a minute and when I do, we shall go into the great hall." She left and Harry listened as the children around him discussed theories on the sorting process. There were many outlandish theories, such as entrance exams, or fighting other students.

Before too long, McGonagall returned. She stood at the front of the mass of first and pushed open the great doors.

The room beyond was spectacular, it must have been 60 feet high, but it was impossible to be accurate due to the ceiling looking just like the overcast sky outside. This room too was lit by hundreds of bright candles floating above their heads. At the far end was a long table, where Harry saw the staff assembled, in the middle of this table sat an ancient looking wizard with bright blue eyes, resting upon a magnificent golden throne.

Arrayed before the teachers were four long tables, filled with the students. Arranged Harry assumed by house. At the head of the line McGonagall had placed a patched and frayed hat on a three legged stool. Harry stared at the Hat non plussed, until a rip near the brim opened up and the hat began to sing.

Harry tuned out the words, but clapped with the others when it was over. McGonagall unrolled a sheaf of parchment, and spoke.

"When I call your name you will come forward, sit on the stool and put the hat on your head." She cleared her throat,

"Atley, William" A nervous boy stepped forward and the hat fell over his eyes.

"Ravenclaw!" the hat shouted out, and the blue and bronze dressed table burst into applause. This continued, for a while, Bole went to Slytherin, whilst Bradley went to Ravenclaw. Clearwater went to Ravenclaw, whilst Cedric was sorted into Hufflepuff, Harry zoned out for a while and when his attention returned it was to hear Ogden, Frederick get sorted into Ravenclaw.

"Potter, Harry" Called out McGonagall, the mutters and whispered conversations around the hall ended abruptly. The silence was deafening, and when Harry started to walk towards the stool, he heard one of the Gryffindor's next to him loudly whisper "Potter? Is he the traitors son?" Harry's jaw tightened, but he kept his head held high and strode confidently to the stool.

He sat, back ramrod straight, and the last thing he saw before the hat covered his eyes was the hostile looks being directed at him.

"Interesting, you have a wonderful mind Mr Potter" Came a deep rich voice in his ear. "Lots of Talent, goodness yes, and dear me, you certainly won't fit in Helga's house, you would sell your own soul if it got you what you wanted." Harry was about to retort, before realising that arguing with a hat would be stupid.

"Now then, you're brave, but not reckless, vicious and ruthless but not cruel, very intelligent and driven, but don't seek knowledge for its own sake. Tricky. You analyse everything in a way I have never seen before, not in all my thousand years. I must say this is interesting, It's extremely evident where you belong, Merlin forbid I sent you anywhere other than _SLYTHERIN!" _

This last word was shouted to the whole hall, but unlike the others, this was not met with cheers, one lone boy at the Slytherin table cheered, but the sound seemed hollow and he stopped quickly.

Head held high, and face entirely blank, Harry stepped towards the table of Green and Silver.

**End of Chapter 1**

_**Feedback is always wanted, give me your thoughts, opinions where you think this story should go, etc.  
This is a story I've always wanted to read, but haven't quite found anywhere, so I decided to write it!  
I haven't got the whole story planned out yet really, just a series of scenes in my head, so I would love any ideas you have!**_

_**Yours**_

_**MarshallAngmar**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As Harry stepped towards the Slytherin table he was intensely gazing at the faces of his new housemates. They seemed split into three groups: those who looked at him unpleasantly, those who looked at him somewhat welcomingly and those who were neutral. Harry eventually decided to sit himself between two boys, both first years and both not looking at him distrustfully.

He remained silent as the sorting finished, McGonagall put the stool and hat away, and the Headmaster stood up.

"Welcome students, to a new year at Hogwarts, May you fill your heads with wisdom and your bellies with food. Tuck in."

As soon as he finished, the golden plates on the tables filled with a vast array of succulent looking foods. Harry inwardly marvelled at the vast mountains of meats and piles of parsnips. Imitating the rest of the house he reached forward and spooned a generous helping onto his plate.

"Excuse me?" Harry turned to the boy next to him,

"Yes?" Harry responded carefully

"I'm Charles Warrington."

"Harry Potter, How can I help you Charles?" The boy gave a somewhat nervous smile,

"It's just I heard you lived with Muggles, that must have been awful!" Harry smiled, thankful that he had skimmed over those books on Wizarding customs in Flourish and Blotts.

"Now Charles, forgive me If I am wrong, but you must be a pureblood?" at the boys slow nod, Harry continued,

"Yes, I lived with Muggles, and whilst it was certainly not pleasant, it was neither what you might call awful." The boy looked at Harry puzzled.

"What I mean is that the Muggles did not understand me. They didn't know magic, and as such were confused as to why bad things happened to them when they displeased me. Humans fear what they don't understand, and they didn't understand me. However when you fear something, you tend not to antagonize it. They left me be for the most part. Some needed to learn a lesson in discretion from time to time however." Charles nodded looking slightly puzzled, whilst an older boy, Harry guessed 15 or 16 looked at Harry interested.

The conversation continued, and the first years near Harry introduced themselves. The boys he was sat next to were Charles Warrington and Terrence Higgs, then there were two other boys, Marcus Flint and Aiden Montague. The girls of Harry's year had yet to introduce themselves to Harry, but he figured there was time for that later.

The Feast eventually ran to a close and Harry followed the other first years down to their common room.

"This stretch of wall is what stands between our common room, our sanctuary and the rest of the school. It is protected by a password. The easiest way to remember which patch of wall is the common room is that if you look closely in the top right corner, you will see a carving of the Slytherin crest."

The Prefect who had introduced herself as Bonnie Moran paused. First Years heads all looked up and saw what she spoke of.

"This Year the Password is champions, as the house has so far managed to maintain possession of the quidditch cup for 2 years and the House cup for 3. Passwords tend to change every couple of weeks."

The wall slid open silently and the awed first years filed in. Harry took a moment to look around the spacious common room. The walls were made of sheer grey stone, and the ceiling was quite low, however there was a pleasant light filtering over the room and lots of comfortable looking sofas and arm chairs. Harry thought it all looked magnificent, he could see himself being very comfortable here.

Most of Slytherin house seemed to be in the room, filling chairs and leaning casually against the walls.

"Traditionally Professor Snape will address the house on the first night of the term, he's also the potions professor here and I should warn you, he is very strict. Always be respectful around him."

"Thank you Miss Moran. That will be all." Several of the first years jumped at the silky voice that came from just behind them.

"I am professor Severus Snape. Welcome first years, to Slytherin." The man was tall, thin and his face was framed by lank hair that fair carelessly. He had a large nose and deep set black eyes that gave nothing away. He strode to the centre of the room from where he would be visible to everyone in the room.

"Welcome back Slytherins, I trust you have all had a pleasant summer and have managed to complete any assigned work. I will not be kind should I hear any reports of failure." The room was silent, Snape had a talent for maintaining quiet seemingly without any effort on his part.

"For our new Slytherins, I shall inform you of our House rules, for our old students, I trust that you shall remember them all _very _well." Harry almost smirked, but restrained himself.

"First, Slytherin House enjoys a rather negative reputation from the rest of the school, however we must display a united front. The other houses will be rather unwilling to go against any of you if they believe you have the rest of your house ready to support you." Harry could accept that, it made sense, and he believed that he would need all the help he could get considering his reception from the rest of the school at dinner.

"Second, Slytherin does not openly judge its members for what they could not choose. Except of course if you're a _muggle" _The students laughed and Snape let the noise continue for a moment before raising a hand and immediately restoring quiet. "This means that whatever your politics, wherever your sympathies lie, whatever your _Fathers_ may have done," he looked at several members of the house intently, before finally resting on Harry, who met his gaze freely, "Slytherin will not ostracize you."

He finished his speech before turning to the first years. "My office is down the hall, my door is always open to my snakes should you have need of me, that does not mean you may speak to me because you miss your mother, or any other ridiculous notions other houses perhaps enjoy." He gazed at them all for a few moments more before gliding to the door,

"Mr Potter, with me if you please." He motioned for Harry to walk before him and together they left the common room.

"Mr Potter, It would be remise of me not to warn you to expect some hostility from this school. I shouldn't have to tell you that your family name is not exactly the best in the business, however prove yourself to the school, to your house that you are worthy of being here and they may come to accept you"

"Yes Sir, I understand"

"Good, and Mr Potter, like it or not, thanks to your father you have something of a reputation here. Other teachers and other students will be watching you far more closely than they would any other student, therefore if you are planning anything… not in line with the rules, you had best ensure you do it out of sight of the rest of the students and faculty." Snape was looking at him intently and Harry understood the gravity of the situation.

"Professor, I have no intention of gaining anymore of a reputation than you say I already have, that being said, I will not curb my education and activities because of my father. I am not James Potter." The tall professor nodded approvingly before turning and leaving, gliding silently away.

Harry sighed, running a hand through his unkempt hair before turning to the wall and speaking the password, as before it slid aside on silent hinges.

The rest of the first years had taken seats around the roaring fire, and Harry was pleased to note that they had left a pillow empty for him. As Harry sat down one of the girls spoke up,

"Now we're all here, I thought it might be a nice idea to introduce ourselves. After all we are going to be housemates for seven years, it would do us good to make friends early." The girl who spoke was short, with long light brown hair falling down her back. "I'll go first shall I?" Seeing no argument, she started.

"My name is Olivia Moran, you already met my sister Bonnie. I live in Donegal in Ireland and like music" Harry thought this a pleasant enough exercise and continued to listen as the rest of the girls introduced themselves.

There was Clara Montague who he learned was half Spanish, then Georgia Hart who loved to sing, finally there was Honoria Vasiley, who hated her name and wanted to be called Honour. After the girls had their bit, they looked expectantly at the boys, Terrence went first, then Marcus Flint, who Harry learned had a passion for Quidditch, Charles Warrington, and then Graham Montague, who was Clara's twin brother, despite not looking anything like her.

Finally all eyes turned to Harry, who cleared his throat. "My name is Harry Potter, I grew up in a muggle orphanage near London, and I like strategy games like chess."

Introductions out of the way the nine eleven year olds began chatting, and the topic, as Harry had expected, soon got onto his Father.

"I didn't know him, and thanks to my upbringing, I don't even know who he betrayed, the books I read were too vague." The other children nodded understandingly. Harry watched Clara and Graham look at each other for a few seconds before Clara turned to him

"It's terrible that a wizard from such an ancient family as yours should be forced to grow up with _Muggles_. But don't worry Harry, me and Graham will teach you everything you need to know."

"Graham and I" her brother rebuked mockingly, Clara just stuck her tongue out.

"Now Hold on!" cried out Flint, "Why should you teach him, your family has been neutral for ever and spent most of the last century in Spain, Harry will need a teacher from a fine British Family!" several of the others nodded, It appeared that a full blown argument was going to break out,

"Do I not get a say in this?" asked Harry and his year mates paused to look at him.

"Sorry Harry, would you like us to teach you in the ways of magical culture and Politics?" asked Clara sweetly, her brother just rolled his eyes.

"Well, I would like to be taught certainly. But I want only the _best _teacher." Almost immediately the entire group except for Honour starting clamouring to be the one to teach him. Harry smiled and let them sort the matter out themselves. After a few minutes of them all arguing Harry stood up.

"Why don't you sort this out between yourselves, I must go study for tomorrows lessons." He walked away, leaving the others still arguing, he made his way over to the steps to the boys dorms and had almost made it when a hand grabbed his arm.

"That was impressive Potter, almost artful to watch." Harry smiled up at the girl who had his bicep in her firm grasp. She was incredibly beautiful, tall with dark blonde hair reaching mid back. Her face was flawless and perfectly proportioned. But Harry missed all of this, he was too entranced by her eyes. They were a bright, almost unnatural blue, and cold as Ice.

"My name is Miranda Rookwood, We have something in common Potter." She whispered quietly,

"And what might that be Miss Rookwood?"

"Well Potter, we both have Fathers locked in Azkaban." Her answer surprised him, but he did at least now understand why she would seek him out.

"Oh, I see. Now may I ask what you found so impressive?" Miranda laughed, his question seemed to genuinely delight her,

"Perfect, oh Mr Potter, You will be fun to have around, I was simply referring to the beautiful manipulation of your new year-mates. People who barely know you arguing over who gets to spend time with you. Most enjoyable" Harry smirked, he liked it when his work was appreciated.

"You remind me a lot of myself Potter, when I joined this school most of the teachers wanted nothing to do with me, and students tried to curse me in the halls." She paused "I imagine you have that to look forward to tomorrow. But if you like, I can show you how to overcome that" She smirked at him, he narrowed his eyes at her.

"And what is your reputation now?" Harry asked, Miranda smiled widely, flashing very even and very white teeth,

"Now Mr Potter? Now I'm top of my year, respected throughout all the upper years and feared by the younger. In four years I have turned what could have been hell on earth into a paradise." This gave Harry pause. He shook his arm loose from her grip and slowly walked over to a sofa. He sat down and quirked an eyebrow at her. Miranda smiled at him again, before walking over, her hips swaying with exaggerated motion. Harry's lips twitched.

"Well then Miss Rookwood, May I inquire as to what caused such a dramatic turnaround?"

The girl paused, looking down at her hands which were neatly folded in her lap. For the first time she seemed to be thinking about the best way to answer his question. Eventually her Icy blue eyes found his again.

"It's simple Mr Potter, I showed the rest of this school that I was the meanest, toughest and most ruthless bitch in this place, and that crossing me would be a very bad idea." They gazed each other in the eye again, his green eyes cold and calculating, hers blue and ruthlessly cunning.

Eventually he slowly proffered his hand. "I think..." he allowed a small smirk to grace his lips "this could be the start of a beautiful relationship Miss Rookwood." The girl's eyes for the first time showed some emotion, and she smiled almost maliciously.

"Meet me here tomorrow after supper. Bring your wand." She elegantly rose, her hand gently brushed across his face before she laughed softly and walked away, her entire body swaying enticingly. The words '_Deal with the _Devil' briefly crossed his mind before he shook such notions from his mind, and finally making it to the sanctuary of his dorm room.

The next day, at supper, Harry had the chance to reflect on his first day of classes, as both Professor Snape and Miranda had predicted, neither teacher nor student had been kind to him, Students from other houses had always given him a wide berth, and in classes Harry often heard whispers about the _traitors son_ or words to that effect.

The teachers, with the exception of Professor Snape and Professor Sprout had been acting as though he didn't exist, refusing to answer his questions and not letting him answer there's. Whilst most of his mind continued to seethe in anger at the injustice of being judged because of someone else, a small part revelled in the challenge of increasing his self-image and popularity. It was the most difficult game he had ever played and he thoroughly looked forward to all the intrigue.

The classes themselves had been rather dull for Harry, So far he had had Potions, Herbology, transfiguration and charms. The two wand based classes had been theory, theory which Harry had all but memorized weeks ago, Herbology and Potions Harry thought went hand in hand, as Professor Sprout taught them the individual properties of each plant, whilst Snape taught the interaction of each plant with another, or in a cocktail of different specimens. Harry thought the two classes could develop into something much more interesting.

During his musings Harry had missed the fact that his new housemates had joined him at the table. He gifted on them a rare smile, before going back to his delicious Lasagne.

"Harry, we have decided who will teach you everything you've missed about the Wizarding world." Harry looked at them with a quirked eyebrow,

"We will!" Clara chirped, her brother who was next to her rolled his eyes and sighed,

"What she means, Harry, is that we all will, we thought we could form a study group, work on homework and the like, as well as getting you up to speed." Harry nodded,

"That sounds really excellent you guys, thanks for this, I promise to be a good learner." The others laughed,

"So we were thinking of having our first meeting tonight, after supper?" Harry shook his head,

"Sorry guys, I already promised to meet Miranda tonight." Charles frowned,

"Miranda?"

"Miranda Rookwood, she's in her fourth year." The 8 first years looked surprised,

"But, my sister told me that she's a pyscho, and knows more Dark Arts than most of the seventh years! Are you sure that you want to hang out with her… alone?" Olivia said quickly.

"She's right Harry," added Higgs, "one of the 7th years told me that she once put half the Ravenclaw fifth years into the Hospital Wing, she takes after her father I'm telling you!"

"I can assure you that those Ravenclaws deserved it. Besides Terence Higgs, didn't your parents tell you not to judge people prematurely, it can lead to… painful results." Higgs paled as he felt a warm hand upon his shoulder.

"Good evening Miranda." Harry said, a hint of warning in his voice,

Miranda's answering smirk displayed just how unintimidated she was, with reason Harry supposed, he was woefully ignorant in magic.

"I had come by to ask if you were ready to go Potter, but evidently your new… friends, would prefer I didn't." She gazed at him speculatively.

"I do not break my promises Rookwood, I am ready if you are." She smirked and motioned with her head. Harry stood and the two of them left the hall, not paying any heed to the stares that were directed at them, some, mostly from Harry's new friends were concerned, others, particularly Dumbledore, watched Harry's choice of companion with a degree of concern.

After a few minutes of navigating the dark halls of the dungeons, the two of them found themselves in a disused potions laboratory, Miranda swept the desks to one side and conjured 2 comfortable looking chairs. Harry supressed his desire to question her on how such magic worked, he assumed he would learn it eventually.

"What did you expect me to teach you tonight Harry?" Miranda asked after she had settled herself in the seat opposite him, one leg crossed elegantly, her back straight. Harry didn't answer for a second, gazing at the empty blackboard behind her.

"I have experienced the pettiness of my year mates and teachers, I had hoped you would show me an effective way of stopping them from doing anything too… excessive."

"A good answer, and what I had initially planned to show you." Harry nodded his head appreciatively.

"Potter, I…"

"Call me Harry, It makes this feel less formal."

"And you are looking for something less formal?" Harry chuckled,

"I have had a great deal of experience, both today and before Hogwarts of people hiding insults behind formal language. I had hoped that we could pass beyond such tedious behaviour."

The blond said nothing, merely gazing at him speculatively. She straightened a small crease on her blouse before responding,

"Potter, part of winning this fight is to be better at such subtleties as your opponents. If you thought I would only show you how to defend yourself from physical assaults, perhaps I overestimated you." This gave Harry pause, he had hoped to be shown how to defend himself, but his mind quickly accepted the validity of Miranda's words, he could hardly use violence every time a professor belittled him.

"So you show me how to beat them at Politics and word games?" Miranda nodded pleased,

"Correct, however that is not all, your typical boorish Gryffindor first year will not be cowed by harsh words, in this situation violence is necessary, harsh measures must be meted out to destroy any opposition to your progress." Harry nodded. Everything she had said so far made excellent sense.

"I am not discussing the typical spells that a first year might use. To stop these attacks you must prove yourself to be the meanest and cruellest out there. I am saying spells that rend flesh and break bone must be employed."

This gave Harry pause, and he wondered if maybe he was in over his head, it was after all only his first day and he was already contemplating dark, violent and most probably illegal magic's, he considered walking out, but then he looked into the beautiful girls eyes.

He looked into her eyes, and for the first time saw something behind the ice cold exterior. He saw fear. He imagined the first year girl, who barely knew her father yet was violently attacked by strangers for his actions. That would ruin someone, he thought. Miranda learnt this because it was the only way he reasoned, and her father is not anywhere near as infamous as mine. He needed this so he would not turn into her.

"Very well Miss Rookwood, I am ready to learn whatever you deem appropriate."

Miranda smiled and for the first time since he had met her, he thought she looked pleased.

Over the next few months, Harry's life found itself in a taxing, but enjoyable schedule. He spent most of his free time in the library, where the librarian Madam Pince, prevented anyone from speaking loudly or using magic and thus he was safe from the many who wished to do him harm. His lessons continued to be slow and rather dull, but Harry was diligent, often coming top of his class in Charms and Transfiguration. He thought he deserved the top spot in Defence against the Dark Arts, however the teacher, Professor Diggle, was one of those who had fought against Voldemort in the first war, seemed determined to punish Harry whenever possible, often mocking him because of his father and generally being antagonistic.

As per the advice he had received in his evening lessons with Miranda, he had not responded, she had informed him of the results of going into an argument and losing, it would result in his loss of respect, and respect, she never hesitated to remind him was something he had very little of in the first place.

The other first years had been incredibly patient with Harry and he would now describe them as friends. Every day, for two hours after lunch, they would sit around a table in the Library, studying and finishing homework, and then spend the last 30 minutes teaching Harry the nuances of pureblood culture. After three weeks of this, Harry was up to speed with the basics of Wizarding politics and customs, as well as correct procedure in various situations Harry could find himself. So this time became used instead for chatting, topics covering everything from Wizarding sports to music.

When the Christmas holidays arrived, Harry truly felt that he belonged, perhaps not in Hogwarts, but certainly in Slytherin, some of his professors, such as Flitwick and Sinistra, had overcome their initial suspicion concerning him, and in the case of Flitwick, now treating Harry like he was some kind of Prodigy at his subject, which suited Harry fine.

On the evening of December 14th, three and a half months after joining the school, Harry was sat opposite the Montague Siblings playing them at chess. Whilst the two were good, and seemed to have a psychic link considering how in tune with each they were, Harry was managing to beat them relatively easily.

"Surprise Potter, Check!" crowed Clara jubilantly. Harry was casually lounging on his chair, his eyes surveying the board. The moving pieces of the House chess set were looking up at him hopefully, so far as their general he had yet to lead them astray.

"Rook to A5" Harry dictated, the pieces moved accordingly, Clara scowled as her bishop was destroyed.

"Knight to B4, Check." Graham said, he was far more introverted than Clara and watched the board nervously, undoubtedly concerned by their surprising good fortune thus far.

Harry's face revealed nothing as he continued to spin his trap, leading the siblings into a sense of security with small sacrifices of irrelevant and expendable pieces. Before long the inevitable happened.

"Queen to D1" Clara called triumphantly, Harry finally allowed a smirk to cross his features.

"_Queen to D1" _Harry said in a passable imitation of the half Spanish girl.

"I do not speak like that Harry, now shut up and make your move!" Harry held her gaze until Graham nudged his sibling.

"Clara, he made his move…" Clara's triumphant expression faltered as she looked at the board in time to see her queen being knocked off the board, her expression fell as she looked at Harry.

"Checkmate."

"Potter, don't look so smug you insufferable bastard!" Clara cried, springing up from the board

"Language Miss Montague." Rebuked Professor Snape as he walked through the door to the common room, Clara quieted her tirade but remained glowering at Harry

"Now Slytherins, I have the list here for people who are going home for the Christmas Holidays, please form a queue so I may take your names if this includes you." When he finished, most of the house filed towards the man, Only Harry remained in his year, none of the second or third years, Miranda and a fourth year boy and then several students who didn't want to be distracted from exam preparation in the upper years.

He left them to it, plucking a book he was currently half way through from his book bag, "_shields and counter jinxes, a beginner's guide to defensive magic" by Wilbur Slye_, It didn't teach anything dangerous or effective in a duel, but Miranda had stressed that wand magic required a strong foundation before learning anything more advanced.

He perused the book as his year mates returned and went back to their activities, occasionally he earmarked a page for later review but mostly just read in silence.

Three days later and Hogwarts felt empty, there were perhaps forty students remaining and Harry was enjoying the break in glares and whispers that were no longer following him everywhere he went.

Harry was walking back from lunch that afternoon, making his way down a narrow staircase he turned a corner, only to see a flash of electric blue light come into contact with his chest, _tripping jinx_ he had time to think, just before he collided with the stone steps hard and fell crashing to the bottom of the stairs.

His body hurt, and his head felt dizzy, he lay there for a moment, trying to shake the dust out of his head, he opened his eyes, eight feet were in front of his face, he blinked, and realised he was seeing double, four feet. 2 people.

He tried to rise, but one of his assailants feet came down hard on his hand, he cried out as he felt bone break. Clutching his hand to his chest, he rose unsteadily to his feet, facing the two boys, He didn't recognise them, but could tell they were Ravenclaw fourth years.

"Why aren't you at home Potter?" asked the first, his friend chuckled,

"That's right, you don't have a home do you?" Harry said nothing, he had very few options at this point. Miranda had taught him a few spells, but they were fairly basic and would not incapacitate effectively, considering they had already attacked him, Harry also thought it unlikely he could talk his way out of it. He scowled, hadn't he promised himself to not let himself become weak? Failure was not an option.

"I'm surprised that they even let you into the school, but then again, Dumbledore is a great wizard, you must be his charity case." These words almost made Harry lose his self-control, he was no one's charity case, and he _would _teach the world to fear his name one day.

"Not so talkative are you Potter? Anyway, I'm afraid this is going to hurt. Quite a lot, which is too bad really." The boys laughed and the first levelled his wand "_Chaura!"_

The jet of blue light of the burning curse, designed to make the victim feel like he was burning, but not leave any physical signs, struck Harry in the shoulder. Immediately, he felt as if his skin was melting, and he cried out, his legs buckled out underneath him and he collapsed to the floor.

The agony was terrible, but Harry was used to pain, he tried to remember that it wasn't real pain, but it didn't have much effect, it felt like he was under the torture for hours, although in reality it was only a few moments. Eventually the spell was released and Harry lay there panting, his hair was stuck to his sweaty face, and his palms were bleeding from where his nails had cut into them making fists.

"You alright Potter?" asked the second Ravenclaw, a slight grin on his face. "I think He's fine mate, hit him again!" the first boy grinned and raised his wand again.

"Chaura!" Harry watched as if in slow motion as the blue spell sped towards his face, however before it struck him, it was intercepted by a pale green shield, which flared briefly as it absorbed the spell.

"Davies and Bradley. Torturing first years now hmm?" The two fourth years turned, and paled immediately. Before them stood Miranda, Her wand was drawn and held loosely at her side, her face was relaxed and beautiful as always, but her eyes promised vicious retribution.

"This doesn't concern you Rookwood." The one named Bradley said, though his voice shook with fear.

"Come over here Harry." Her voice was soft, but it was definitely a command, Harry stood on trembling legs, and limped over to his saviour. "I had been meaning to give you a demonstration of exactly how to incapacitate an opponent, and Thomas and Steven have kindly decided to oblige us, thank our volunteers Harry." She looked at him expectantly.

"Thank you." Harry said as politely as he could, but his voice wavered. Miranda bestowed a quick concerned look at him. The first of its kind Harry mused.

"Now Harry, the most important part is preparation, first we prepare the patient." Faster than his eye could follow, the blonde girls wand sped through the air, two jets of red light leaving its tip. The boys crumped at once.

"Next we prepare the surroundings, in this case with a silencing charm, we wouldn't want anyone to hear us and come investigating." Her wand sped through the air again, the charm went up, and then Miranda woke up the two boys.

"Thomas, Steven, wakey wakey" she said mockingly, the Ravenclaws struggled to their feet, eyes on Miranda nervously.

"Ossus Fragmentum." The dark grey coloured curse struck them in the knees and they both fell, screams silenced by the ward.

"That was a bone breaker, it can be lethal, or just used to incapacitate." Miranda lectured, whilst Harry watched in fascination. "Next, the bombarda spell, this is just a concussive curse, and not quite as powerful as the Reductor curse."

"Bombarda!" she cried, it hit each boy in the face, resulting in a spray of blood from their noses.

"Now then, to finish I think we should give them a taste of their own medicine, What Harry is the purpose of the _Chaura _curse?"

"It makes the victim feel like they are burning alive" Harry responded, voice more steady now.

"Good, Chaura." The boys flailed on the floor, whilst Harry watched dispassionately, It was like Miranda had said, if punishment wasn't severe and immediate, they would just do it again. There was no place for mercy or forgiveness in Harry's world.

A few minutes later, Harry and Miranda were in the Infirmary, "What seems to be the matter Miss Rookwood?" asked the Healer.

"It's Harry Professor, someone set upon him in the dungeons, I'm not sure what they did, but I thought it best to bring him up her." Harry was almost shocked at Miranda, her voice was nothing but concern and kindness, whilst her face showed earnest fear for Harry. Not that he believed it, Miranda was a survivor, and to Harry's benefit, she was apparently working for his survival too,

"You did the right thing Miss Rookwood, 5 points to Slytherin for taking the time to help Mr Potter. Now let's see," she waved her wand in a complicated series of gestures, paused then waved it again, before running the tip up and down Harry, as her scans progressed, her eyebrows rose steadily higher.

"Mr Potter, It's a miracle you are still standing, concussion, 2 cracked ribs, 3 shattered bones In your hand and a concussion, that's just the physical damage, you have the burst capillaries and high blood pressure typical of someone who has undergone magical torture," Miranda scowled, her Icy eyes glaring out the window.

The Matronly healer bustled off to get some potions, and Miranda helped Harry over to a bed. She didn't say anything, but she rested her hand protectively on his shoulder, and from his closed off Slytherin companion, that was as good as a hug.

Madam Pumfrey returned shortly with 5 vials of Potions, "Drink these," she said handing him 3 " then go and get some sleep, take the next two when you wake up, please come and see me tomorrow morning, just for a checkup." After promising he would, he downed the vile tasting potions before walking back with Miranda to their common room.

"This won't happen again Harry, We will get them to leave you alone, just like they leave me alone." Miranda murmured, Harry smirked up at her.

"Never knew you cared Rookwood" the older girl sniffed, but didn't remove her hand from his shoulder.

"Slytherin looks out for her own."

Christmas morning dawned, and with it, the first snow of the year, Harry woke up from a rather uncomfortable sleep to discover that he had managed to fall asleep on one of the sofas in the common room.

He awoke to see a pair of enormous green eyes just in front of his face. He gave a startled yell, and the creature yelped frightfully, falling off of him onto the sofa.

"Middy is Sorry Master, Middy is sorry!" its voice was slightly high pitched and it's looked terrified,

"Are you a house elf Middy?" Harry asked, he had heard that they were the creatures who maintained the school and took care of the students but he was yet to meet them.

"That is correct master sir, can Middy return to her duties?" Harry nodded before standing. He stretched out his shoulders and back, sighing in relief as the bunched muscles and tight joints popped. Twenty minutes later he was in the Great Hall, it was empty except for the Headmaster and Professor Diggle, who were engrossed in their own conversations.

The rest of Harry's morning passed rather slowly, he sent out letters to all of his year mates, including Honour Vaisley, who had never been particularly friendly with him, He would have liked to send gifts as well, but that was hardly an option considering his financial state, hopefully his friends would understand. The rest of the morning he spent in the Library, his nose deep in several texts concerning advanced transfiguration.

Miranda had told him that Battle Transfiguration was easily some of the most effective ways to disable someone, however it required immense concentration. Harry sighed, whilst his proficiency with a wand was now well ahead of his year mates, He was still only a first year. And any opponent with a modicum of experience would not be defeated by his limited variety of spells.

Miranda had been magnificent in her assault on the two Ravenclaws, and he wished that he could get to be that powerful, to have those boys look at him with the same looks of fear that they had looked at him with. Following the incident with Bradley and Davies, Harry had been called into Snape's office. Miranda was already there, looking perfectly innocent and confused as to the nature of why she had been called to see Snape.

"Mr Potter, I trust you are feeling better after your incident yesterday?" Snape had asked, his eyes on Harry,

"Yes thank you Professor, whatever was in those potions worked miracles." Snape's lip quirked,

"They were a bone regrowth draughts and a few potions designed to reduce any swelling in the brain, for your information Harry." The raven haired first year suppressed a smile and nodded his head appreciatively.

"Now I have called you here, because yesterday afternoon, two Ravenclaw fourth years, Thomas Davies and Steven Bradley were attacked, much like you were Harry, only far worse. As you were also attacked, I had hoped you may have any information on the matter." Harry schooled his face into confused uncertainty.

I'm afraid not sir, I didn't see who attacked me, and Miss Rookw… Miranda arrived a few minutes after they left, so she wouldn't have seen anything." Snape didn't say anything, and Harry almost smirked,

"Surely you don't mean to suggest that I attacked them as some sort of Revenge attack? I wouldn't be able to do anything to fourth years!" Snape curled his lip and was silent for a few moments.

"Indeed." He paused and his gaze switched to Miranda, "Miss Rookwood, your time at Hogwarts has been dogged by those who wronged you ending up in the infirmary, am I to simply chalk this latest incident up to coincidence also?" The Blonde sniffed, her chin held in a regal pose,

"I simply helped an injured student, The halls can get dangerous Professor, we may never know what happened, I assume Davies and Bradley said nothing?" Snape nodded to her question, and the ghost of a smile flit across her beautiful face.

"You may go Miss Rookwood, Mr Potter, and do try to look after yourselves."

Harry smiled as he remembered the incident. Snape obviously knew it was them, but with no way of proving it, he would not investigate. Revenge was the Slytherin way.

Christmas lunch that day was a loud affair, and Harry had a wonderful time, even though there was only one other first year present, a loud mouthed Gryffindor named McClaggen. None of the other houses seemed interested in talking with the Slytherins, most of whom looked surly at the childish antics going on around them. Dumbledore wore a flowery pinafore, whilst he had won from a cracker, whilst Professor Flitwick had wrapped a neon blue cloak around his diminutive shoulders.

That afternoon, when they got back to the common room, Harry was delighted to discover a small pile of Presents sat upon his usual desk at the corner of the room, He had never received presents from people who mattered to him, and he wasted no time in ripping off the paper.

From the Montague siblings he had received a wizard's chess set, the pieces far more decorated than the house set had been, from Warrington and Flint, he had received a selection of Wizarding sweets, and Olivia Moran had given him a book on great Quidditch moves, He had sat next to her at the first Quidditch game in which her sister Bonnie played as Slytherins star chaser, Olivia had patiently explained the rules and some basic strategies, Harry had listened interested.

One gift that had been a surprise was from Cedric Diggory, he and Harry had spoken a few times since the term began, but Hufflepuff house didn't seem to trust Harry one bit, and Cedric seemed under pressure to distance himself from Harry. However Cedrics gift was more than welcome, an elegant Notebook, bound in Black leather and embossed with his initials in gold.

Hi final gift was from his unofficial mentor, Miranda had given him a black bound book with the words "_Concealment and detection" by A. Sinistrum_, Harry had flicked through the book and very much looked forward to finishing it properly.

The next few days, Harry got into a rather pleasant routine, He and Miranda would continue to discuss how to out talk any would be bully, whilst also teaching him duelling and offensive spells. Following the attack by Davies and Bradley, Miranda had thrown herself into improving Harry, they now spent four of five hours each day working on magic, recently too, she had begun to teach him the basics of the Dark Arts, spells powered by negative emotions. They were hard certainly, but when he cast dark magic, Harry felt a rush of Elation and power, it was intoxicating.

In the Evenings, Harry had taken to reading Olivia's book on Quidditch, and carelessly noting down Quidditch plays in his new notebook. He found the concept of strategies when each player was mounted on a broom far more difficult than he had expected, and he relished the challenge.

The evening before the rest of the school came back for the new term, Harry was to be found curled up on the sofa in front of the fire, journal in one hand, quill in the other, scribbling down ideas and diagrams for the Quidditch pitch. At his feet sat Miranda, who sat as elegantly as always, her blonde hair slightly damp following a recent shower. She was reading a book on advanced potions, and seemed rather uninterested by it.

Soon before the bell for Curfew rang, Harry was surprised when he felt someone hug him from behind, he jumped, his focus had been entirely on his journal, and he turned around, surprised to see Olivia.

"Surprise Harry, Bonnie and I arrived back today! How was Christmas?" asked the brown haired girl,

"Fine thank you, thank you for your gift, I've already read it" The girl blushed at his compliment,

"Thank you for your letter, I hope you weren't too lonely Harry." As she said this, her eyes fell on Miranda, who pointedly kept her eyes on the book in her hands.

"I've been very happy, it's been nice, almost relaxing." The girl smiled and gestured to the journal in Harry's hand,

"What are you working on there? It looks like Quidditch." Harry gave a delicate shrug of his shoulders

"its a few strategies and such I've come up with, nothing exciting, just a way to fill up my time." Olivia grabbed the book from his hand, ignoring his protests, she leafed through the pages, brows furrowed as she read what was on them.

"Bonnie, Check this out" she called to her sister, who was chatting to some of her fifth year friends, Harry tried to protest, reaching out to snatch the book back from his friend, but the girl just danced out of reach, laughing at his attempts. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miranda smirking at his futile efforts and sighed. Sitting back down and awaiting the book to be returned to him.

"These are good Liv, where did you get them from?" Bonnie asked, Olivia just jerked her head in Harry's direction, the Brown haired Prefect looked back down at the book in her hands, before shouting "Urquhart!"

The enormous figure of Julian Urquhart, Slytherins Quidditch captain and beater lumbered into view, despite his vast muscles and intimidating demeanour, Harry knew him to be personable and very intelligent. He had captained Slytherin for three years, and had one each time, quite a record in most peoples opinion.

"What is it Moran?" asked the 6"4 captain. Comparatively, the lithe and athletic Bonnie looked like a child.

"Potter wrote out a few Quidditch plays. I thought you might want to take a look. They're good" Urquhart grunted, but took the book, he read silently for a few minutes before looking up at Harry.

"I'm borrowing this Potter. I'll give it back later." Harry nodded dumbly, before turning to Olivia,

"See what you do to me?!" The girl giggled, before collapsing down on the sofa next to him, and launching forth into a tale of her Christmas.

With the end of Christmas, the Easter term began. Harry quickly fell back into his old routine of work and socialising, although now he was expected to join the Slytherin Quidditch team on the pitch each and every practice as their tactical advisor. As the effectiveness of Harry's plays became apparent, his role began to develop into more of a coach, he practically ran the practices and had even been entrusted with the vaunted Slytherin Quidditch Play book. Flattering as all this was, it did mean he had very little time for relaxation.

To make matters worse, Miranda felt that he wasn't spending enough time working with her, so had responded for increasing the length of their sessions together, the large amount of magic he expelled during these sessions always left him tired and sweaty, but he could tell he was improving fast, and he would always be grateful to the Beautiful blonde for her help.

In this way, the Easter term flew by, and before Harry knew it the Easter Holiday was over and summer was upon them. This meant studying for the exams, preparing for the upcoming Quidditch final against Gryffindor and also maintaining his excellent academic record.

This was proving to be a Herculanean task, Urquhart was a hard taskmaster and kept the team for hours at a time practically every day. However Urquhart's dedication was paying off, the Slytherin team had improved tremendously and Harry was pleased that it was in part his plays that had allowed Slytherin to develop so much as a team.

The day before the Quidditch final, Harry and Miranda were in their usual abandoned classroom. Harry had just learned to properly cast the Nightmare curse, a dark spell designed to trap the victim with their nightmares for several hours, and Miranda had decided that this was enough progress for Harry for one evening.

They were sat on comfortable stool facing the blackboard at the front of the classroom, simply chatting, which was a rare occurrence for the two of them.

"What are your plans for the summer then?" Harry asked, he knew about her father, but other than that Harry knew little of his mentors home life.

"I will be at home, I have an apartment just off Diagon Alley, It will be nice to escape the constant stress of Hogwarts." Harry hummed his agreement,

"Do you live with your mother then?"

"No, my mother died when I was very young,"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Miranda scoffed, the most unladylike gesture Harry had seen from her.

"Don't be, I don't talk about my home life. I live on my own, and that's how I would like to continue. Will you return to the orphanage?" Harry sighed, running his hand through his messy hair,

"Unfortunately so, I would give anything to leave, but with my financial situation, I'm afraid that just wouldn't be possible."

"That's unfortunate, when Father was captured, they confiscated our money, but left the manor and grounds intact. I sold the house in my second year, and now live off the money left over." She looked proud of what she had accomplished, but Harry thought it must be quite lonely on her own… not that he would ever mention that to the girl, she had a tendency to get quite temperamental at times.

The conversation paused, stretching into a comfortable silence, before conversation returned to far safer areas. Such as what McGonagall would look like when she was denied the Quidditch cup for the third year in a row.

The game had taken an unexpected turn. Harry was watching the match keenly, whilst Slytherins chasers were far superior to Gryffindor's, Harry was frustrated to see that Gryffindors star Seeker Charlie Weasely was managing to prevent the house of green and silver from using some of their best moves.

The game was currently 160 – 60, after 40 minutes of play, and at the rate that the seekers were going, Weasely would be the one to catch the snitch. Slytherin needed to get a 160 point Margin, or all their hard work would be for nothing.

He watched in silence for another five minutes, during which Slytherin scored twice, before his heart sank, The Gryffindor seeker was diving straight down for the snitch, whilst Perview, Slytherins seeker was at practically the other end of the pitch.

Slytherins hopes of Quidditch glory however were saved, when a well-placed bludger from Urquhart struck Charlie on the back, making him lose concentration and lose sight of the snitch. Harry sighed, that had been too close.

Signalling to Madam Hooch for a time out, Harry mounted his broom and sped upwards towards the team.

"And Slytherins uh… coach, Harry Potter has signalled a time out, clearly that near miss with the snitch has shaken him quite a bit!" came the announcement over the loudspeaker, Harry tuned it out and looked at each of his players.

"That was too close, We need to get 40 points before Weasely gets the snitch, and our current tactic isn't working. Counterattacks are too slow, we need to get on the offensive, Blake, you're doing fine in front of the posts, keep at it, you're about to lose some defence, keep a beater playing defensively to cover him." The players he had mentioned nodded,

"Moran, this is your shot, you can do this, we will play Gauntlet, then Trident. If they are successful, then carry on with attack pattern 3, we need those points. Perview, you've got to accept that's he the better seeker, mark him hard and don't let him lose you, interfere with his game, and don't take risks." He signalled to Madam Hooch that he was finished and play resumed.

It became quickly apparent in the following minute that Harry had made the right call, the team were playing a far more aggressive style, and the points were showing that it was paying off, within 10 minutes, Slytherin was 150 points ahead, but Harry was not one to accept a tie.

It seemed however that the fates were against him, as Charlie Weasely and Nathan Perview were neck and neck, diving towards the fluttering golden fall, Harry stood from his seat, binoculars trained on the two figures plummeting down, they were seconds away, both had a hand stretched out, as they dropped lower, Harry momentarily lost sight of them.

He heard a great roar from the crowd and watched intently as the two seekers rose up, mere metres from the ground. It was too far to tell facial expressions, and Harry's heart had risen to his mouth. Then, in a moment of majestic triumph, Perview raised his closed fist, snared tightly around the tiny, fluttering golden snitch. Harry let his eyes flit over to the large scoreboard.

Gryffindor 60, Slytherin 360.

Letting out a woop of Joy, Harry grinned maniacally as the team landed. The stadium was cheering loudly, even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were seemed caught in the moment, the Gryff's looked put out, but the Slytherins had lost their usual decorum and were screaming to the heavens. If one looked closely enough, they would see professor Snape punch the air in celebration, although he would deny it if anyone ever asked.

A smiling professor Dumbledore handed Urquhart the golden cup, and the Slytherin beater raised it in his hands, the Slytherins cheered louder than ever as the cup was passed from player to player, finally coming to rest with Perview.

When Harry joined the celebrating team, the seeker handed Harry the heavy cup with a pat on the back. "Wasn't good enough you were saying eh Coach?" Harry laughed at the nickname, they had insisted on calling him that ever since his stratagems had yielded results in their earlier games.

"Party, Slytherin common room tonight." Shouted Moran, the normally reserved girl flushed in glee. Harry smiled, they deserved a party, no one had one 3 years in a row for 50 years. 5 years more of victories and they would have a record.

Following the excitement of the final, the rest of the year passed relatively dully. Harry felt like he had aced most of his exams, and Miranda had finally decided that he was skilled enough in intrigue and conversations that he didn't need her help any more.

That didn't mean he didn't see her, but now they only practiced spellwork and enjoyed relaxed conversation. Since Harry's revelation, he was now pretty convinced that Miranda was quite lonely, and enjoyed the opportunity to speak with someone in a similar position to she had been. Harry never brought it up, the blonde had taught him the most useful skills he had gained at Hogwarts, and he was incredibly grateful.

However, all good things must come to an end, and for Harry this meant returning to the orphanage. He had requested of Professor Snape that he be allowed to remain at Hogwarts over the summer, but his request had been denied out of hand. However, as Harry stepped back into his old bedroom, he supposed that things could have been worse. He had raided the library of several books, and was determined to return to Hogwarts fully prepared to start learning advanced magics.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The summer had passed relatively quietly, he had received a few Owls from his friends and had replied to them quickly. The Montague siblings had been sending him boxes of sweets and homemade food, they were convinced that the orphanage didn't feed him enough.

His favourite letters were from Miranda however, she didn't write regularly, and when she did the messages were always short and to the point, however the fact that they arrived at all was a great success to Harry, he would never have expected any correspondence from the incredibly closed off girl. He always replied with long letters, letting her know just how insufferable the Orphanage had become after the magnificence of Hogwarts, and also how tired he became of the constant prattling of the Muggles.

He had finished his homework the day after his exam results came in, O's in everything except Herbology (E) Astronomy (A) and History of Magic (E). He was pleased about this as it gave him time to study the books he had pilfered from the library. Most of them were on Spells, Intermediate Transfiguration and charms, the fifth year texts, made sense to Harry, as did _Advanced Defence_, which was designed for duellists and his personal favourite so far _Charms: More than just making things float_ which provided suggestion on how ordinary charms could be used in a combat situation.

However, as July ended and August began, Harry's desire to actually practice magic grew whilst his supply of unread books ran out. On August the fifth, when Harry awoke, it was to find two owls sitting on the end of his bed. He blinked tiredly, he sat up and yawned widely. He recognised the first owl, a handsome tawny belonging to Miranda contained a large parcel and a letter.

He relieved the Owl of its parcel and it flew off immediately, not waiting for a reply, the other owl ruffled its feathers importantly, glaring at Harry as he removed its thick letter embossed with the Hogwarts crest. He sighed deeply, slitting open the Hogwarts letter, he browsed what it said.

_Dear Mr Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you have been accepted into your second year of Magical Education at Hogwarts…. _

He discarded the first sheet, and looked at the second, a book list. Most of the books on the list he had already read and learned, maybe he could use Transfiguration and charms as a chance to improve his own learning… Not likely considering McGonagall, but still a possibility.

The Parcel from Miranda was interesting to him however. He opened the letter first, it was typically short, and written in his fourth year friend's elegant script.

_Dear Harry_

_I imagine that you will have recently received your Hogwarts letter, therefore if you were interested in shopping together for our things, I would not be opposed and could be found outside Florean Fortescue's at midday tomorrow. _

_This book is one I would recommend learning, If my suspicions are correct, it will defend you from both Professor Snape and the Headmaster. _

_Regards_

_Miranda Rookwood._

Harry resisted the urge to snort ungracefully at the letter, only Miranda would ever write something like that. However he missed his friends (not that she would ever admit they were friends) dry wit and arrogant self-assurance. He would meet her tomorrow.

Turning to the package, he ripped off the brown travel paper to discover a thick and ancient looking book: _Defending your mind: The Complete guide to Occlumency_. He read through the foreword, and thanked Miranda in his head, If Dumbledore and Snape could truly use the skill legillimency, then learning this skill became imperative and took priority over all his other thought.

The rest of that day was spent trying to learn Occlumency, however he quickly discovered there was a reason the book for this skill was so thick, it was not a skill to learn overnight. The first step required him to clear his mind of any thoughts, which was itself very difficult. Whenever he nearly got there, his brain celebrated and he had to start over.

By the end of the first day he had made no progress, but, he reasoned, he had a month to develop the skill, hopefully that would be enough.

The next day Harry met Miranda just outside Florean Fortescue's. She was sitting in one of the outside booths, a copy of _The Daily Prophet _elegantly folded over her arm and a steaming cup of white coffee in front of her. Harry took the seat opposite her at 10.55, and she looked up at him with a small smile.

"Good Morning Harry." She offered politely.

"Good Morning, Thank you for the book, I only wish you had shown it to me earlier!" Miranda inclined her head slightly,

"I would have, however your magic wasn't developed enough, I imagine you will find it difficult to manage even now, however I won't show you any of the more interesting spells in my repertoire until you have it mastered." Harry could see the sense in that, she was taking a risk in him every time she showed him something illegal.

"Would you like anything sir?" asked a waiter, and Harry idly ordered a Latté, emptying his money bag completely to pay. Miranda quirked an eyebrow at him with a hint of laughter ghosting over her lips. Harry scowled at her, hiding the conspicuously empty money bag under the table.

They sat in silence for a little while, occasionally breaking it for questions on the others holiday so far, but aside from that it was comfortable quiet. When both had finished their respective drinks, Miranda dabbed her lips with a napkin and stood up, Harry quickly followed suit and the two of them walked over to the large white Marble structure of Gringotts, they stepped up to one of the free tellers, Harry showed his key and was given a new bag of galleons, this one he was told containing 55 Galleons, he didn't comment, grateful for the small increase.

Miranda was taken to her vault, whilst Harry waited in the foyer and when she returned, the two of them began to shop, Because he had no need to purchase a wand, scales or Telescope like last year, Harry was able to spend far more in the book shop. Thus when he left, his bags were full, in addition to his school purchases, he had added _So you think you can duel?, Useful spells every man should know, Taking the fight to the enemy, An introduction to Runes, What you can get from Wards _and many more, A most productive session, they went through the Apocathery quickly, and by 1.30 had finished their shopping.

"Lunch Harry?" Miranda asked when his belly has rumbled, Harry nodded as his tummy gave another rumble.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, eyes looking up and down the street,

"I thought we could go to my apartment, I have plenty of food there for both of us." Harry looked at her in surprise. She had never been forthcoming about her home life, and often denied letting him see her spell journal, so the idea of letting him see her house, which was hers and hers alone, was certainly a milestone in their friendship.

"That uh, that would be lovely Miranda. Thank you." She nodded, distractedly and together the two of them headed down Diagon Alley, they reached Latter Alley, and she took him towards a grand looking four storey house.

"My Apartment is on the fourth floor" she told him as she took him up the steps, when they reached what Harry assumed must be her door, she paused, hand poised on the door knob, but after a few seconds she opened the door to him, revealing her home within.

Harry's immediate reaction was that it was exactly what he had expected. Spartanly decorated, the furnishings and walls were all shades of beige and cream. They had entered into what Harry assumed to be her sitting room, through a door to his right he could see a bedroom, not a thing out of place, and to the left a kitchen. Straight ahead of him were wide open windows, looking out over the shoppers of Diagon Alley and the Muggle world beyond.

"Mistress is Home. Will Mistress and Mistress's Mister be requiring any Lunch from Minny?" came a squeak from the floor in front of Harry, He looked down to see a House elf standing before them,

"Yes Minny. Lunch for two, put something together." Miranda replied carelessly, she walked into her bedroom, calling over her shoulder

"Make yourself comfortable Harry, I'll be back in a moment." Harry walked further into the room, he was about to sit on the sofa when he spotted 3 framed photographs on the Mantelpiece. He studied them for a moment, one was of a beautiful witch with Miranda's Rich blonde hair holding a chubby baby in her arms, laughing at the camera.

The second revealed the same witch wearing a wedding dress, looking up at a handsome man, with high cheek bones and a straight nose, who was evidently her groom. The third picture was a picture of Miranda when she was around four Harry guessed, the beautiful witch was gone but her father was chasing her around the shot as she rode a toy broomstick, Harry smiled at the picture.

He suddenly became aware of Miranda standing behind him, he hastily put the picture down, and turned to face her. Her normally flinty blue eyes had gone soft, and it looked almost unnatural on her face.

"My Parents" she said simply, in all their lessons on conversation, Harry had never learnt how to deal with a situation like this.

"Your Mother was very beautiful." Harry said simply, Miranda smiled at him,

"She was. She died following complications to her second Pregnancy. Neither survived." She swallowed deeply, and for an awful moment Harry thought she would cry.

However she didn't. She pulled herself together, "I'm sorry Harry, you were not supposed to see that." Harry gave her a sincere smile and sat down at the table.

The rest of their lunch they deliberately stayed on very safe topics, never straying from school, summer holidays or learning. Towards the end of the afternoon, She began to instruct Harry in Occlumency, speaking softly to help him clear his mind, he had some success, but could never keep his mind clear for more than a minute or so, the book said not to progress to the next stage until he could stay in that state for 15 minutes at least.

As Harry understood it, to reach the first level of competent Occlumency, he needed to reach four intermediate levels of success, Step one was clearing the mind of all thoughts, step two was compartmentalising his memories, this would stop random bursts of emotion from interrupting his concentration, step three was to focus his conscious thought on one thing, be it a memory or an image, the final step was to maintain this constantly and be able to continue normal behaviour whilst maintaining it indefinitely.

Needless to say it would take a lot of time, especially considering that that was only the first chapter of the book, and there were six chapters. However Harry hoped that it would get easier as his basic knowledge of the mind arts increased, otherwise it could take him years.

The rest of his summer passed quickly, he spent most of his time in deep concentration on the mind arts, and by the first of September had reached stage 3.

He maintained regular communication with all his year mates, whilst Miranda had occasionally sent her Elf, Minny, around with home cooked meals, always denying it in her letters of course, citing the Elf's lack of control as the reason.

He hoped his progress would be enough, he was certain that if someone attempted Legillimency on him he would at least be aware of it, and have time to raise his defences… Hopefully.

As the train pulled out of Platform 9 3/4 on September the 1st, Harry was sat on his own in a compartment near the back of the train, nose stuck in his book on Occlumency, but his mind elsewhere, he was looking forward to returning to Hogwarts, or at least he was looking forward to returning to Slytherin, He had never felt like an outcast in Slytherin as he had the rest of his life.

Before too long, the carriage he was in began to fill up, first Cedric came in and they spoke for a little while, before the Hufflepuff bid his goodbye to return to his friends, as he was leaving, Terrence and Charles came in, both looking thoroughly put out.

"Those bloody twins!" shouted Terrence.

"Good to see you too Higgs, what have Graham and Clara done this time?" Higgs looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"What? Oh, no, not those twins, the Weasely bastards. They've got Filibusters fireworks and thought it'd be hilarious to fire them at passers-by." Harry choked back a laugh at the murderous look on his friends face, but let it go.

Soon after the two had sat down, Olivia and Bonnie Moran walked in.

"Potter, a word if you don't mind." Asked Bonnie, Harry stood up gracefully, and stepped out of the compartment.

"Potter, I'm Slytherins new Captain," Harry smiled at her,

"That's great… Big shoes to fill, literally and figuratively." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Whatever, I think you have a talent, and I plan to exploit it, you did excellent work last year, so I just want to tell you that you should expect the work load to lighten up. Have a nice journey Potter." Harry Sighed, he had thought that being the soft spoken girl that she was, Bonnie would prove to be a calmer captain the Urquhart, however that clearly wasn't the case… maybe the badge was cursed to make the wearer obsessed?

The rest of the journey passed calmly, the rest of their friends arrived, and they spend some time chatting and relaxing before the term began.

Harry had been correct in his belief that all Quidditch captains automatically became crazy. They were three weeks into the term, and Bonnie had already successfully found replacements for the two chaser and beater who had graduated the year before.

Despite there not being a match for another six weeks, Bonnie had them training three days a week, and if there were especially heavy rain or fog, she called in extra practice so they could experience 'adverse scenarios'. Needless to say, Harry was rather unimpressed by her attitude, He wrote her plays, and had described each one to her in detail, so he didn't see why she wanted him present on the pitch each and every practice.

However, aside from Quidditch, Hogwarts life had fallen back into its typical routine: Wake up at 7, shower, breakfast, Class, Break, Class, Lunch, Library with other Second years, Class, Quidditch, Session with Miranda, Supper, Homework, Sleep.

In this way, the days became weeks and the week's months, and before he knew it, Christmas was upon him. He was once again the only second year Slytherin spending the holiday in the castle, but unlike last year, this time he had little fear of being ambushed in the corridors, He had learnt vast amounts of offensive and defensive duelling manoeuvres, as well as having the protection of the Slytherin Quidditch team, and through them, much of Slytherin House.

Thus when Christmas day dawned, Harry was in an unusually cheerful mood, he hummed through his shower, and walked down the steps with a spring in his feet. As he arrived in the common room, it was to find most of the house who had remained, only a dozen or so, waiting in the common room, Harry looked puzzled briefly, before the house noticed his arrival and stood up.

"Come on Potter, we were waiting for you!" Harry grinned, and together, the Slytherins made their way up to the great hall. It was once again splendidly decorated, festoons of Holly and at least 12 enormous Christmas tree's filled the Great Hall. After a lunch that would have filled Hagrid, Harry returned to his room and practiced his Occlumency, he was now nearing starting chapter 3, "_How to provide false memories to a Legillimens_".

Around lunch time, he descended the steps, to find a pile of presents beneath the large House Christmas tree. Several of the other older Slytherins were already crouched beneath the tree sorting them all into piles.

When Harry received his, he was delighted to find it larger than the year before. He got the usual sweets from Georgia And Honoria, which was expected, he didn't speak to them much, Flint and Higgs had joined together and bought him a year's subscription to _The Daily Prophet_, From Olivia he got a framed picture that had been taken a few weeks earlier of all the Slytherin Second Years in front of the common room fireplace. Harry smiled as his picture self blushed at something the others said, whilst they all roared with laughter.

The Montagues had bought him a copy pf Gilderoy Lockhart's latest book, _Gadding with Ghouls_, The man was supposed to be a Defence Expert and Harry was excited to read about his exploits. Finally, from Miranda he received a book called _Words are for Wusses: A guide to nonverbal spell casting. _He looked over at the blonde and thanked her gratefully, she nodded kindly,

"Read it properly Potter, that's the next stage for your education." Harry grinned at her, and placed the relatively thin book on the pile with the others.

That afternoon, Harry had a breakthrough, he was in his bedroom, the windows were closed and the room was dark. He was lying on his back, mind fiercely concentrated on his Occlumency, the step he was involved with was forcing his magic into forming a defence around his memories. It wasn't dangerous, nor was it particularly complex. He knew what he was supposed to be doing, but his magic was being uncooperative.

The problem was that whenever he immersed himself in his raw magical power, he got drunk of the exhilaration and almost immediately lost his concentration.

After attempting the stage for what must have been the tenth time that afternoon, Harry finally got it. This was an excellent achievement, as it meant that he would be able to block Legillimens from accessing his mind, whereas before all he could have managed was to be aware of the foreign presence, but be powerless to prevent them.

The Rest of the Holiday progressed slowly, now that Harry had reached an acceptable stage of proficiency in his Occlumency he was no longer working quite so hard at it, concentrating instead on his school work.

The Days melted together, and Harry was slowly gathering a reputation for being somewhat bookish. He spent a large amount of time in the library, studying and pouring over texts, his grades, which had always been excellent, had skyrocketed. When the spring term had begun, nearly all of his teachers had commented on his improved skills.

Whilst his extra studies had helped him in his academics, an unexpected side effect of his skill in the mind arts was that he found his mind clearer and was able to draw up memories and answers far more easily. His friends were jealous of his recent success, but pleased for him, as more and more teachers seemed to be won over by the polite, brilliant if cold child.

As the weeks progressed However, Harry began to grow rather frustrated at the Library, despite the vast number of books available, the actual content which he could learn was frankly limited. Almost two thirds of the books were on History, a subject that whilst interesting, held no special interest to Harry.

It was with in mind therefore, that Harry found himself on a cold spring day in April outside of Professor Snape's office. He breathed in deeply to steady himself, raising his Occlumency shields, before finally raising his hand and knocking on his Housemasters door. There was silence for a moment before

"Enter." Harry twisted the elaborate door knob and entered the confines of Snapes office. The walls were still covered with curious looking Potion ingredients and the lighting was still somewhat poor. However, Harry liked the room, it suited the bat-like professor perfectly.

"What can I do for you Mr Potter?" Harry kept his face straight as he looked at his Housemaster, not in the eye of course. He had thought about his best way of going about this, and had come to the conclusion that Snape was a master of deception and intrigue, an honest approach was more likely to succeed.

"Professor, May I have permission to browse the restricted section of the library please?" Snape's eyebrow rose, he looked surprised at the request, though not angry or displeased which Harry thought could only be a good sign.

"Any why would I grant you this Mr Potter?" Harry smirked mentally. No outright rejection, definitely a good sign.

"Well professor, I have read most of what interests me in the Library, and believe the restricted section will hold what I want to discover now." Snape curled a lip in amusement.

"Mr Potter, the Library contains twenty thousand books, I'm sure you haven't read all of them." Harry raised his chin,

"Sir, Much of the Library is History, a subject I have little interest in!"

"You _should_ have an interest Potter, it's imperative if we are to avoid the pasts mistakes." He paused, looking at Harry intently, as though there were some unspoken message in Snape's words, it passed straight over Harry's head.

"never the less Potter, there are still at least eight thousand books on Spell work and other subjects in the Library, have you read them all?" Harry sighed and shook his head.

"No Professor, I am yet to read up on some topics, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes for example are still relatively unknown to me." Snape nodded slowly.

"Then why not read those subjects, a mind as brilliant as your own should be versed in as many topics of magic as possible. Do not blinker yourself to one branch of magic." Harry nodded his thanks at the compliment, before reaching into his book bag, he withdrew 8 thick tomes and placed them on the desk,

"I will read those books, don't worry professor, but I want to extend my studies in the classes I currently take!" Snape nodded his understanding before looking down at the pile of books.

"An interesting collection Mr Potter, I assume there is a reason behind them, or have you simply decided to leave dust on my desk?"

"Well professor, look, _An Anthology of Transfiguration_ published in 1048, and here, the same book, but published eighty years later, and again a century later." He picked up the last book, "This is the latest issue, published in 1978 and is currently used for an NEWT reference book, the rest of these…"

"Are quite useless Mr Potter, I understand, Nevertheless, I cannot issue a pass for the restricted section unless you have a specific book in mind. Open Passes are extremely rare, used only for students looking for their Mastery." Harry smirked,

"Perhaps If I were to return with a list of books I would like to check out, you would be able to have a look and sign off on it?" Snape smirked at the Slytherin boy,

"An adequate compromise, you may return to me with a list, be warned, I will not blindly release them to you." His tone was warning, but Harry wasn't intimidated. He nodded his thanks, before hurrying up to the Library.

Over an hour later, Snape's marking was distracted again by knocks to his door. "Enter!" he called loudly, and to his lack of Surprise, the Potter boy walked in, head held high, eyes as cold and calculating as ever and a long list of Parchment in his hand. Snape gestured to the list impatiently and Harry passed it to him.

"Let me see, let me see," his eyes scanned the list, his brow rose occasionally, and he smirked at others,

"This is a complicated list Potter, although I am impressed if you think this to be your level of knowledge." Harry shrugged humbly,

"My theory is at this level Professor, my practical work is sadly behind however."

"Understandable, Our Magic develops as our bodies do, do not exert yourself Harry, It would be unwise at this stage of your life." Harry accepted that piece of wisdom, his studies had said practically the same thing.

"Mr Potter, I am prepared to sign off on five books from this list. Once you have finished them, I will consider allowing you more." Harry almost smiled, but nodded demurely.

He took the list back from Snape, and with a quill slowly underlined the five titles he most wanted:  
_Mind Magic: Develop your Occlumency vol. 2 _by _Veronica Neurom  
Advanced Duelling Practices and their applications _by _Vindictus Crow  
Magical Detection and Concealment Vol. 6 _by _Octavius Sinistrum  
Battle Transfiguration vol. 2 _by _Phineas Nigellus Black  
A Thesis on the enhancement of Wizards through subjugation of Muggle Kind _By _Gellert Grindlewald_

"You are aware Mr Potter, that without already having a strong foundation in Occlumency, the first book on your list would not help you?" He watched his charge intently,

"I understand that without Occlumency the book is useless to me sir, But it's on my list." Snape's eyes bored holes in Harry's skull, and for the first time since the conversation began the two of them made eye contact.

For Harry, this was the first time his Occlumency shields had been tested. He felt the pressure of the Legillimency probe on his shields and to his relief they held steady, Snape's mind probed a little, but withdrew shortly afterwards. Harry stared at the Potions professor impassively.

"10 points to Slytherin Potter, Are you self-taught?"

"Largely Professor, May I have the books on my list?" Snape reviewed the list once more, his eyes lingering on the final entry before he nodded curtly, Harry gave him a final nod of appreciation before heading to the door, he halted when he was on the cusp of leaving,

"Professor, Is it legal to use Legillimency on a minor without permission?"

"No Potter, is that all?"

"Yes Professor, Good Evening." Harry left, allowing a victorious smirk as he looked down at the slip of paper in his hand, _which book to take out first?_

Bonnie Moran's first year as captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team had gotten off to an auspicious start. Following a triumphant victory over a strong Ravenclaw team in the final, Slytherin had once again taken control of the much prized Quidditch cup, For Bonnie however there was much more than just that to celebrate. She had been approached at the end of the game by the Cork Coyotes. One of the stronger teams in the Irish League, that night therefore there was double to celebrate. The party went on long into the night, and Harry enjoyed the festivities, although he did retire at midnight in order get some sleep for the next day. The first day of the end of year exam was in two days, and Harry was determined to get the best marks possible for himself.

It was perhaps due to his dedication that when Harry left the hall of his last examination that he felt so confident. All of his papers had gone well, and with the notable exception of Astronomy, which he viewed as next to useless, he felt like had quite well. The rest of the summer went by quickly, having no lessons, and the Quidditch cup being over left Harry with very little to do, he spent a few days reading up on his Electives that he could take next year, before eventually deciding on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

However, despite his boredom of the last two weeks, when Harry got onto the train to head back to London, it was with a great deal of regret, he had once again asked Professor Snape if there was any chance he could spend the summer at Hogwarts, only to be refused once again, therefore when he boarded the train, his thoughts were darkened with anger and resentment about having to return to the Muggles

It was late evening when He eventually made it back to the old brick house on the outskirts of the capital. The Orphanage hadn't changed at all, and for whatever reason this upset him slightly. The Taxi driver helped him remove his trunk from the boot, before driving off.

As Harry entered through the front door, it was to see a tired looking Mrs Phelps at the front desk, she looked up at him, and he spotted dark bags under her eyes. He nodded his head cautiously. She gave no response.

"Welcome back Harry," the old Matron greeted him coldly. Her voice not so subtly hinting that she wished he hadn't returned.

"Mrs Phelps. I trust you are well?" The matron eyed him suspiciously, as though suspecting him of mocking her.

"Harry, I'm afraid I 'ave some bad news." Harry raised an eyebrow, "Harry, Cecil is dead." Harry blinked slowly, but gave no further response, she took this as leave to continue,

"Killed 'imself last week, 'ung himself in his bedroom. T' say it's made life complicated is an understatement, child services, NSPCC, the police, the place has been in uproar, I'll be lucky ter keep my job!" if she expected sympathy, she had approached the wrong person, Harry only glared at her from where he stood,

"Why is he dead?" he asked, voice soft, yet ice cold. Mrs Phelps shivered,

"Well, he were always a weedy little one weren't he? When you left ter that school he had noffing to protect him right? It got pretty bad, and when you ignored him last summer, well, he just gave up, nasty business." Harry' eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly,

"Are you suggesting this was my fault Phelps?" he asked slowly,

"Well, not just your fault, but well, you were 'is only friend, and ya' left him, he couldn't protect 'imself right."

Harry returned to his room in a rage. Whilst Harry had never considered himself friends with Cecil, hell, he barely considered the boy human, the boy had been under Harry's protection, and that had to mean something. He had to remind his fellow orphans that he was not to be messed with.

The next two weeks were filled with curious events that effected nearly all the residents of St Hilda's Orphanage. Boys suffered from spontaneous fluctuations in shower temperature, or the stairs became inexplicably wet, causing falls.

At all of these events, Harry Potter had been present, but never close enough to be accused of what was happening, however the entire building had become on edge around the raven haired boy. It didn't take long for Harry to view the situation as being back in the correct social order. Even Mrs Phelps was on edge around him, unnerved by his intensely cold gaze.

It didn't take long for Harry to sink into a pleasant routine. He left his room only for meals and to partake in exercise, which he had started as a way to fill up some of his spare time. He often wrote letters in response to those of his friends, and had enjoyed relatively frequent correspondence with all of his year, as well as Miranda and Cedric.

The summer passed rapidly, three days after his birthday, he received his Hogwarts letter and was pleased to discover that he had come first in his year, with O's in everything except for Astronomy (A) and History of Magic (E). Unlike last year, he got no offer to go shopping with Miranda, and he rather felt she was still uncomfortable over how vulnerable she had become the year before. The Blonde girl was an enigma to Harry, sometimes using him like a confidante, and sometimes cursing him like he was the source of the world's problems.

He supposed that as he was her only friend she expected him to fill all the roles of friendship, whilst at the same time she acted in total denial that they were friends at all, it was a rather frustrating situation for the Raven Haired boy.

He postponed returning to London for most of the Holiday, he had read all the books on his list and thanks to his Occlumency had them practically memorised. Therefore, on the thirty first of august he found himself once again in Diagon Alley, he picked up his galleons and made his first stop Madam Makin's Robes for all occasions, from where he had all his robes extended, He couldn't afford a new set, but the kindly lady inside had worked miracles to get them to reach a more suitable length, after he was finished there, he picked up second hand sets of his school books, before returning to Tom the Barman, thanks to his thrifty shopping he was able to rent one of the cheapest rooms for one night, which suited Harry perfectly.

The next day he arrived early on the Platform and arrived just in time to meet up with Oliva and together they made their way through the barrier, the train wasn't due to set off for another hour, so together Harry, Olivia and Bonnie made their way to a carriage at the back.

"So I understand it's been a Quidditch Filled Summer for you Miss Moran?" Harry asked the Irish seventh year teasingly, she smiled brightly, before launching into a long discussion of how wonderful the professional leagues were, and how she wanted to show Harry some plays that he might like to work into Slytherins match strategy, to which Harry jokingly reminded him that she was the captain and her word was technically law when it came to Quidditch plays.

"Yes Potter. But with your making our match strategy we have never lost, I would be a fool to ignore what you tell me. I am winning the cup, we have won the Quidditch cup every year I've been on the team and I will be damned if we lose it now!" Harry chuckled before promising to do his best.

Not long after that, the rest of the Slytherin third years piled into the carriage, and Bonnie Left to find her friends.

The train set off and the nine friends chatted brightly, catching up on all that they had missed during the summer and suggesting what might happen in the next school year. This whiled away the time most effectively and before long the train was pulling into the station.

The feast passed in typical fashion, Dumbledore gave a short speech introducing the new defence teacher, Professor Parker, a rather odd looking woman, with long auburn hair tied back into a messy ponytail. Harry didn't have high hopes for her lessons.

It became quickly apparent that Harry's initial assessment had been accurate. The woman insisted on telling long winded stories about her own experiences with the creatures they were supposed to be learning about, often the tales ended with her running away from said creature in fear.

The rest of Harry's classes however were progressing well, he was enjoying Runes and Arithmancy, both were very difficult and Arithmancy in particular required his constant attention. The first term for both subjects was simple introduction to the material, the practical application would happen after Christmas.

Harry was also very pleased when both Marcus and Terrence made it onto the Slytherin Quidditch team, they were both passionate about the sport and Harry knew that this was a dream come true for them.

Thus the term progressed, Harry had found a new passion in Runes and spent much of his time reading up on it, and it was time well spent in his opinion._  
_Slowly the months fell before him, September became October, and then November, and with it came snow, before long it was Christmas day, Harry sat at the Slytherin table enjoying a big lunch, to his left sat Miranda and to his right Bonnie, who had elected to stay at Hogwarts to work on her school work.

The Irish chaser now had to travel to the Cork Coyotes pitch 3 times a week for training, and her academics were suffering because of it. He finished his meal, and the three of them headed back to the common room for the traditional present giving.

Harry got his usual small pile of presents, sweets from Georgia, Olivia gave him a ticket to Bonnies next professional match, and the boys had all banded together to buy him New casual robes. He had been complaining about his lack of a casual wardrobe, and was touched that his friends had been paying attention. Cedric bought him a magical wrist watch that would never break or unwind.

There was nothing as a gift from Miranda, and he turned to her surprised. She grinned before leading him back to their traditional practice classroom. Once inside she gestured to a chair in a somewhat sinister fashion. Harry sat cautiously.

"Potter, for Christmas this year I have taken pity on you, and decided to do what should have happened years ago." Harry was perplexed, especially when she drew her wand.

"Relax Potter, I'm just going to do something about your god awful haircut." Harry chuckled, this was absolutely not what he had expected, but he had never been happy with his hair, and if the blonde knew what she was doing, he wouldn't complain.

The next hour was curious for Harry, he'd never had a magical haircut before, Miranda's wand travelled across his wand, slicing hair off behind it, it was a slow process, but eventually the Beautiful teenage girl seemed pleased with her work. She conjured a large mirror and held it in front of Harry's face. Harry blinked, he looked very different, his usually long untidy hair had been tamed.

Gone was the fringe that had constantly gotten into his eyes, his hair was short, about half an inch long, with the sides and back being ever so slightly shorter than the rest. He looked infinitely more mature, and the shorter look suited his face. Harry had never fancied himself a vain man, but he couldn't help but admit it… He looked good.

As the term continued, several of his friends informed Harry of their approval of his new look, he wore his new robes, and the new hair well, and whenever Miranda heard a compliment about him, she would smirk condescendingly at him.

Shortly after the Christmas Holiday, Harry read about a complex and dangerous piece of magic which could yield enormous results if he pulled it off. It was a method of forcing his magic into his eyes, allowing for him to see if an object was enchanted or whether or not Wards were protecting a certain area. However, the operation was risky, if he put too much magic into it, he would risk blinding himself.

As soon as he read about it, he was eager to try it, however he was not the sort to go into anything without giving it a good deal of thought, he returned to the library to read up on it, he couldn't discover much about it, except that many of the more experienced Aurors had undergone it, and that it had been invented by Dumbledores mentor, Nicholas Flamel.

However, despite the risks, Harry was too tempted, therefore one evening, when Harry and Miranda had been having one of their small Dark art's sessions, Harry had asked for her to watch over him while he tried the spell.

Harry was sat in one of the comfortable chairs he had conjured, Miranda opposite, speaking softly in a gentle voice, as he slowly sank deep within himself. Once he was properly centred, he gathered his magic and pushed it towards his eyes. He met resistance but simply pushed more magic forward, willing the change to occur, however whatever was preventing him succeeding was strong. Harry growled and with a Herculanean effort managed to flood his eyes with magic.

The Pain was intense, but Harry managed to focus and using sheer force of will attempted to bend his magic to his direction.

Almost 15 minutes after he had descended into his consciousness, Miranda heard Harry give a cry, his closed eyes suddenly opened, and a bright white light shone from them. Miranda very nearly panicked, but was unwilling to do anything in case it effected the result of his experiment.

The bright light in his eyes began to dim after a few minutes, but Harry remained unconscious, using a levitation charm, the blonde hurriedly marched him through the corridors to the infirmary, ignoring the few curious people who she passed along the way.

Once inside, Pomphrey immediately bustled over.

"What happened this time?" she asked hurriedly, Miranda shrugged,

"I don't know, but when I found him, he was clutching his head and it appeared his eyes were the source of the problem." The Healer nodded and waved her wand over her charge. Her brow furrowed, and she waved her wand over Harry's face and eyes, whatever she found upset her,

"What a stupid boy!" she muttered angrily, before Hurrying over to the fireplace and floo calling Professor Snape. The bat like professor appeared quickly, and he and Pomphrey began a hushed conversation which Miranda strained to hear.

"… very depleted magic…" Pomphrey whispered,

"Any idea of a cause?" came Snapes silky voice.

"Some It would appear…. Sight, If I had to hazard a guess" Snape scowled angrily,

"…success?" he asked,

"It would appear so, but…. At least three days is typical." Snape sighed once more.

"Thank you Madam Pomphrey, wake him up, I think this Slytherin and I should have a chat."

Harry awoke quickly, his breathing rate increased and his face frowned. His eyes flickered open, before Harry closed them, opening them slowly, the normally ice cold and blank orbs were now empty. A flicker of fear shot across Harry's face.

"Miranda?" he called out, "Miranda? I… are you there?"

"I'm here Harry, are you alright?"

"I, I can't see Miranda, It's all white." Miranda took his cold hand in hers and squeezed it gently.

"Mr Potter, 10 points from Slytherin for sheer stupidity. And I will expect you to serve detention with me every night for a week after you leave the Hospital Wing." Harry's head shot in the Potions professors' direction.

"Professor Snape?" he asked cautiously

"Indeed." Harry's head fell back against the pillow.

"Is the blindness permanent professor?" he asked, his voice deceptively strong, but it was hard to miss the notes of fear that existed within.

"Somehow Potter, despite your absolute stupidity you actually succeeding in your ridiculous task, you should have full use of your vision within three days." Harry smiled in relief, and Miranda gave a small squeeze to his hand again, then seemed to realise what she was doing and hastily released his hand. Harry chuckled.

"Potter, I should warn you, I have taken a blind eye to you and Miss Rookwood's little practice sessions as you have always shown at least some restraint in your actions, However if you ever do something this monumentally stupid again, I will have you out of this school before you can say Blackmail, am I making myself clear?" Harry looked past Snape and nodded, the potions teacher seemed satisfied and left.

Three days later, Harry had regained practically all of his sight back, it was a blessed relief to no longer be helpless to everything that was going on around him.

That evening was his first detention with professor Snape. At 8 o'clock he knocked on the professors door, and entered when summoned. The hook nosed man was waiting for him, and gestured for Harry to sit.

"Mr Potter, you are top in your year, far ahead of the rest of your peers in terms of magical knowledge and skill, what in Merlins name possessed you to perform such a dangerous task?"

"It looked interesting Professor, I thought the benefits of such a magical tool would be enormous, I knew the risks and deemed them acceptable."

"And what if you were now blind Potter? What then?"

"The risks were acceptable." Snape sighed, he couldn't fault the boy, and Snape had done exactly the same as Potter shortly after leaving Hogwarts.

"Potter, during these detentions, I am going to teach you how to properly use your new talents, It is a process that could take years to master on your own, so you best be prepared to work hard." Harry couldn't believe his luck, and nodded his confirmation at the potions instructor.

Snape hadn't been joking, his sessions had been long and extremely tiring, but now Harry was able to summon his magic sight (for he had no better name for it) at will, it caused a coloured shimmer around the object the spell was cast upon, or if it was a ward, the entire area would light up with a coloured haze.

Harry often walked around the castle, looking at the blue haze that surrounded portraits, or the purple around the moving staircases, it was fascinating, and Harry believed it to be well worth the risk, no one would be able to trick him with a cursed object, or trick him into taking a portkey unwillingly.

Harry's third year passed far quicker than the rest, before Harry knew it, it was the leaving feast and Dumbledore was giving Slytherin the house cup for the sixth year in a row. Slytherin had once again got the Quidditch cup, having narrowly beaten Ravenclaw in a thrilling final two weeks earlier. The Feast wound to a close and the happy Slytherins returned to finish packing for the train.

"Have you heard Harry?" Graham asked, Harry looked up,

"What?"

"Neville Longbottom is supposed to be starting next year" Harry groaned, Longbottoms presence was likely to set tempers flaring up at him yet again, something he had practically stopped in his three years at Hogwarts.

"What a joy, I can't wait" he responded sarcastically.

The train ride was dull for Harry, no one really spoke, and Harry spent most of it with his nose in a book, a few games of Chess were played, but it got boring for the others when they always lost to the Green eyed boy. When they finally reached Kings Cross, it was with a heavy heart, he always missed seeing his friends, and writing to them wasn't the same, especially when he was made to live with the Muggles. He sighed, bid his friends farewell and headed out through the barrier. It was looking like another happy summer.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry Potter was not exactly happy with how his summer was progressing thus far. Whilst he had been away, it became evident the other Orphans had decided to take a policy of completely ignoring him, this would have been fine with Harry, except that it did at times leave him feeling rather lonely. His letters to his friends became more frequent, and as the weeks went on, more and more desperate.

On the evening of July the 24th Harry was to be found lying back on his thin mattress, a book lay discarded over his chest, hands folded behind his head. His eyes were closed and his breathing even, His face looked completely relaxed, the lips which were so often nowadays raised into a sneer were smooth. He had, much to his displeasure become rather lazy over the summer, whilst he still read his books and exercised his body, he found that he still had hours left in the day, which he often spent in this relaxed state.

"Potter!" a rap of sharp knuckles signalled the end of his rest.

"Potter, open the door." Harry's eyes darted open, and he rose steadily. "Potter!" came the voice again, a warning note rising steadily.

He opened the door slightly, and noticed Mrs Phelps standing before him. He opened the door widely and the woman entered quickly, her eyes taking in the meticulously clean room before her. "I know it was you Potter, I don't know 'ow ya did it, 'nd I dunno know why, but I know it was you." Harry's confusion was not faked,

"Mrs Phelps?" the woman scoffed at him, raising her hand to rub her temple, he noticed just how hysterical she looked.

"You've been a nightmare 'ere Potter, from day 1 hmm," She swallowed and her bosom swelled as she took in a deep breath. "Noffin's ever normal with ya is it Potter? All the broken bones, injuries, young George Nayland's still in a coma, I don't know what ya are, but I thought if we left ya be, you'd leave us alone." Harry wasn't surprised that she was blaming all these incidents on him.

"Then there was poor Cecil last year, he only ever looked up at yer, why would yer abandon 'im?" Harry's attempt to defend himself was lost on the irate woman, "I've 'ad Potter, I've 'ad it. And now, yer had to kill all the pets?" Harry was surprised, He hadn't done anything to the Orphanage's small shed which housed the chickens and hamsters which were there for the boy's enjoyment,

"Why kill 'em? They didn't do anyfing!" Harry felt a pit open in his stomach, his mind had analysed the situation and he quickly figured out where this was going.

"I've made up me mind Potter, I want ya gone. Tonight, I'll give ya a fare for a cab ta London, and then I never wanna see ya again. Ya hear me? You'll just be another kid lost ta the system." Harry's jaw tightened, his fingers itching to grasp his wand concealed in his shirt sleeve. "Ya Hear me Potter?!" asked the woman, her face very red.

"I hear you." Harry responded quietly, his voice filled with Malice. "Now If you will leave me, I have to pack." The woman opened her mouth as though to shout some more, but seeing the look on his face wisely thought better of it, and left quickly.

Harry could have yelled in frustration, he had often dreamed of leaving the orphanage, but he had nowhere to go. He wasn't yet 14 and was facing Homelessness. Not a pleasant prospect. He hurried around, stripping his drawers and putting all his clothes into his trunk. It was a difficult task. And he was forced to bounce on the trunk to close it properly.

Dragging the Heavy trunk behind him, he made his way down to the front desk, where Mrs Phelps and the aged receptionist sat looking at him angrily. He stood straight as he stood before them. "I trust you have me a taxi?" the matron nodded, motioning with one of her bony hands to a car waiting outside.

"Don't return Potter, ya won't be welcome here no more." The Receptionist obviously agreed, as she nodded her head quickly.

"This is not the last you will see of me, I will return and I will see you burn for making me suffer this ignominy" both women recoiled from the look on his face, his Emerald eyes seemed to burn with barely repressed scarlet rage, the sneer twisting his handsome features looked alien, Mrs Phelps recovered first.

"Is that a threat Potter?" she asked, although the tremble in her voice gave away her fear.

"I'm glad you're paying attention." Harry said with a smirk, his features retracting back into their usual calm. He turned on his heel and dragged his trunk out into the Summer Rain. His shirt became soaked through quickly, and he hurried across the gravel car park to the waiting black cab.

"Charring Cross please" he told the Cabbie, who nodded with a smile and hurried to help lift his trunk into the back of the car.

They trundled off in silence up the road, the only noise the drumming of heavy rain drops upon the roof of the vehicle.

That evening, Miranda Rookwood was just changing out of her clothes and into a far more comfortable dressing gown and white fluffy slippers. It was dark outside, and the rain outside had poured down for most of the day. She settled herself onto the beige sofa, curling her feet under her, whilst turning the Wizarding Wireless onto a classical music channel.

The doorbell rang, but she remained seated, Minnie would deal with it, she continued to immerse herself in the symphony being played over the radio.

"Please Miss, Minnie is sorry to be disturbing you, but we has a visitor miss."

"Who is it Minnie?" she asked the elf in a tired voice,

"I don't know Miss, he's outside and asked for you miss." Miranda sighed, but stood up and tightened the dressing gown cord around herself. She walked over to the door and looked down at her nose at the sight of a soaking wet man, a dark blue cloak thrown over his head and a well-used looking trunk behind him.

"May I help y… Harry?" The man had thrown back his hood to reveal the short raven hair and startling green eyes of her only friend. His teeth were chattering and his lips blue. "Potter what on earth are you doing on my doorstep?" Harry tried to force a grin, but it came out as more of a grimace, he looked up at her and did a double take, evidently surprised at her informal outfit, she tugged the dressing gown further around herself, embarrassed.

"D-d-did you m-m-miss m-me?" He asked the blonde witch at an attempt at cheekiness.

"Greatly Potter" she replied sarcastically "But you haven't answered my question." Harry's body twitched as a shiver ran down his frame, she looked at him with a slight smirk as the normally reserved boy stood before her looking quite so vulnerable.

"T-t-trouble with the M-m-m-Muggles, th-they don't seem t-to enjoy m-my company as much as y-y-you!" she looked at him, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Well you better come in before you catch a chill." Harry nodded gratefully, and she let him pass her, feeling the cold emanating off his frame. "And try not to get water on the carpet Potter." She called mockingly after him. He ignored her.

Together the two of them made their way into the living room,

"Minnie, Harry needs a hot bath and quickly, then hang his things up in the spare bedroom, It looks like he will be staying with us for a while." She saw the look of gratitude in her friends face, but tried to ignore it. "I think he would also like something hot to eat and drink." The House elf bowed and popped away.

They stood in silence, Harry's shivering becoming slightly less pronounced as the water in his clothes dripped into the pristine carpet. Before too long the elf returned and with a bow led Harry through to the spare bathroom, like the rest of the house, it was decorated tastefully, a large white bathtub was the centre piece of the room, gold tap fittings covered the surfaces.

"The bath is hot sir, and If Minnie would be permitted, may I take your clothes'es for washing and drying please?" Harry quickly shrugged off the soaking wet cloak and shirt, before shimmying out of his trousers, struggling as the wet fabric stuck to his skin.

Before long he stood in his Boxers, which didn't offer much privacy as the white material was equally soaked through, the elf bowed and picked up his clothes before popping into another room. Harry disrobed entirely, and sank down deep into the hot water.

He sighed in contentment as the warmth entered his blood again, washing away his fears. He lay in the deep bathtub for what felt like hours, before finally standing up and wrapping a thick fluffy towel around his waist.

He stepped into the corridor, coming face to face with Miranda as she left what Harry assumed was her room. She had changed into a well-fitting white blouse and tight dark blue jeans. Her eyes fell upon his bare chest and a small blush graced her cheeks,

"Your room is the one on the right, Minnie has hung all your clothes up, come through to the living room once you're changed.

Harry dressed in a comfy pair of button down jeans and a loose fitting t shirt, in the living room, he found the table had a large plate of steaming steak pie, and he smiled in appreciation.

"Tuck in Harry, Minnie would be distraught if you let it go cold!" Harry smiled and sat at the table, taking a forkful of the sumptuous looking pie, he began to eat. The food was good, and he savoured every mouthful. Miranda let him eat in Silence, filing her nails to a perfect crescent as she waited for him to finish.

When he finally finished his meal, he dabbed at his lips with a napkin and looked up at the gorgeous blonde expectantly. She ignored him for a while, a smirk present at the corner of her lips. She finished her last nail and looked at them critically,

"Well I suppose I would be remiss if I weren't to ask you how it is you came to be dripping on my Carpet." She looked pointedly at him, and he nodded his head in agreement,

"Well, as I'm sure you are aware, Muggles are not the most understanding of beings…" he continued his story, telling everything from when he had first received his Hogwarts letter to how Cecil's suicide and finally to how he was kicked out. Miranda listened in Silence, occasionally interjecting with a short question which he answered as well as possible. At the end of his tale, she looked at him curiously,

"Why did you return there each year? If it were so awful for you?" Harry sighed, running a hand through his short hair,

"It was never awful, I kept to myself, and they kept away from me, but looking back I should have seen this coming, I did push them all rather far, I simply forgot that they could snap back, an embarrassing oversight on my part certainly." She chuckled at his admission.

"Well I suppose you can stay with me for the rest of the summer, I have some of my homework to finish, so do _not _disturb me, but perhaps it would be nice to have someone else around here." Harry was incredibly grateful. At that moment Minnie showed up with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate which she left on the table with a bow before exiting.

Miranda took a long sip and sighed in contentment, and together they sat together, drinking the sweet thick liquid.

Living with Miranda was far better than the Orphanage Harry had discovered. The last month had flown by, they had gone out for Harry's birthday to a small Wizarding restaurant across from Miranda's apartment that served French food, then on August the 18th, Miranda's birthday, they had gone together to the Wizarding High street in Edinburgh, and got caught up in the celebration of the Edinburgh Eagles recent victory over Puddlemere united.

Three days before they were due to take the express back to Hogwarts, they finally decided to get their act together and do their shopping. Their first stop was Gringotts, it was extremely busy and Harry and Miranda queued behind a chubby boy who looked around eleven and his formidable grandmother.

When eventually they did reach the front of the queue, Harry received his usual sack of 55 Galleons, and waited whilst Miranda was taken down to her vault to collect hers. Together they slowly ambled towards Flourish and Blotts to collect that years text books, the new defence book was _Dark Arts Defence: A Guide to Self-Protection_, a book Harry had read two years ago and found to be an excellent source of Material for basic defence, so he hoped that he may finally be able to enjoy a decent defence professor.

Having collected all the course books for the year they both collected a few books for their own study, Miranda had dropped potions for her NEWT's, so she headed off to collect a new set of Robes whilst Harry went to the Apothecary.

Once his purchases were complete, he headed off to meet her at Madam Malkins. The tinkle of the bell signalled his arrival, after assuring the shop assistant that he wasn't there to be served, he sat down next to Miranda who was on a stool having her new robes being pinned to her. On the stool adjacent to his friend stood a Pale blonde boy. As he waited for the blonde to be finished he heard the bell tinkle indicating a new arrival.

"… and then a new Cauldron I suppose, Neville, then it's just a wand left." It was the chubby boy with his grandmother that he had queued behind in Gringotts. She pinned the assistant with a stare,

"My Grandson requires new robes, immediately please."

"Of course Madam, unfortunately both our fitters are busy at the moment, however they should be available shortly." The Old woman sniffed, but they took the available seats next to Harry.

"Oh, it's you. How very nice to see you again Longbottom." The blonde boy next to Miranda called over. Harry started, turning to look closer at the boy next to him. Behind a curtain of curly brown hair he noticed the famous lightning bolt scar. Though Harry would never admit it to the boy, he was disappointed by the saviour of the Wizarding world. He looked rather arrogant, and had a weak face.

"Malfoy, always a pleasure." Neville replied, his voice oozing sarcasm, his grandmother gave him a sharp warning look,

"Young Mr Malfoy, I was unaware you were to be shopping today. Where are you parents?" she asked imperiously.

"Mother is collecting my Potions ingredients, whilst father is looking at brooms." Harry supressed a snort, the boy was clearly a spoilt brat. Unfortunately this drew the attention of the room to him.

"I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced. I'm Draco Malfoy." Called over the blonde, harry nodded his head, whilst he may not like the look of the boy, he was hardly fool enough to risk injuring the pride of the heir of such an influential family as the Malfoys.

Longbottom's Grandmothers nose flared as she looked at him closely, "You boy, you look rather like…" she trailed off, so Harry finished for her.

"Rather like my father? Yes, I have been told, but I assure you, my temperament is far superior" he finished with a wink, The old woman seemed to swell, and Immediately rounded on Madam Malkin who was now watching them with a perplexed expression on her face.

"Madam Malkin!" began Madam Longbottom, "I always thought this to be an upstanding law abiding establishment!" Madam Malkin was cut off as she tried to agree, "And yet here I find you serving Traitors and Murderers!" Harry thought this a little harsh,

"If you would recall Madam, It was my father who had the less than savoury reputation, not me."

"Do not speak back to me _Boy!"_ cried the old woman, standing up, "It was your father that got my son killed!" madam Malkin looked Horrified at the revelation.

"Bless my soul" she whispered quietly, the room went quiet and the silence stretched uncomfortably,

"Well Madam Malkin, I think this colour clashes horribly with my hair, do you have it in a lighter shade of blue?" Miranda suddenly asked, the shopkeeper seemed to have forgotten her.

"What? Oh yes, I… In the back, I shall just fetch it for you, hold on a moment dear." She bustled off through a door, leaving the room back in silence.

"Well done girl, we must always act civilised unlike this… boy" she gestured down at Harry, Miranda gave her a charming smile.

"Thank you Madam Longbottom."

"What's your name girl?" asked the old Matriarch, her tone far lighter than it had been earlier.

"Miranda Rookwood, I believe your Son knew my father too?" Madam Longbottoms smile disappeared at once, she seemed to have lost the ability to speak, she visibly deflated and collapsed into her seat, hand over her Heart.

Neville apparently took this as his invitation to speak, for he sneered at them all, the expression looking comical on his round chubby face.

"Well, this is quite the Death Eater Reunion isn't it? A Potter, Rookwood and Malfoy in the same room, should I be scared?" The three of them were saved from answering when a distinguished voice sounded from the door.

"Now now Mr Longbottom, That's quite an accusation to make. No Malfoy has ever been convicted of being part of that group of terrorists" Standing in the doorway stood a tall, distinguished man with the same blonde hair and grey eyes as Draco. This must be Lucius Malfoy, Political powerhouse and one of the richest men in England.

"I came to see how you were doing Draco, You had been taking a while." The young Malfoy greeted his father respectfully, before filling him in on what had transpired.

"Indeed?" asked the Malfoy Patriarch, a curious glint in his eyes as he gazed at Harry speculatively.

"Mr Potter, I understand you are to begin your fourth year in Slytherin?" Harry ignored Neville when he sneered out

"Where else would he be?" and greeted the Blonde man politely,

"A Pleasure Mr Malfoy, your information is correct." The Blonde man smirked at him a little,

"Well do look after Draco if he too joins Slytherin, he has a nasty habit of poking his nose where it does not belong." Ignoring Draco's protest, he turned tail and left the shop. Soon After the two of them were ushered out by a flustered Madam Malkin who had hurried Miranda through the rest of her fitting.

"Well, with Longbottom at the school, I doubt anything will be dull!" Harry laughed, Miranda smirked,

"Just watch your back Harry, We just mocked Augusta Longbottom to her face, she has a lot of Political clout, you don't want her as your enemy.

The Opening Feast at Hogwarts started in its typical way, when the school was seated, McGonagall opened the doors and led the terrified looking first years down the hall. The sorting hat was sat upon its little stall and began to sing

_Oh you may not think me pretty,__  
But don't judge on what you see,__  
I'll eat myself if you can find__  
A smarter hat than me.__  
You can keep your bowlers black,__  
Your top hats sleek and tall,__  
For I'm the__Hogwarts__Sorting Hat__  
And I can cap them all.__  
There's nothing hidden in your head__  
The Sorting Hat can't see,__  
So try me on and I will tell you__  
Where you ought to be.___

You might belong in_Gryffindor__,__  
Where dwell the brave at heart,__  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry__  
Set__Gryffindor__s apart;__  
You might belong in__Hufflepuff__,__  
Where they are just and loyal,__  
Those patient__Hufflepuff__s are true__  
And unafraid of toil;__  
Or yet in wise old__Ravenclaw__,__  
if you've a ready mind,__  
Where those of wit and learning,__  
Will always find their kind;__  
Or perhaps in__Slytherin__  
You'll make your real friends,__  
Those cunning folks use any means__  
To achieve their ends.___

So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
And don't get in a flap!__  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)__  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

The Great Hall burst into applause and the hat bowed to each of the house tables.

"When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and put on the hat." McGonagall called out

"_Abbot, Hannah_" the first little first year walked forward and put on the hat, at this point Harry lost interest and quickly returned to his previous conversation with Olivia. His attention sporadically returned to the Hat, he watched as Terry Boot went to Ravenclaw, whilst Daphne Greengrass joined him in Slytherin.

When Longbottoms name was called, the hall went silent, unlike the silence that had greeted Harry's name, this silence was more of awe. Longbottom confidently walked forward and put the hat on his head. It took a while for him to be sorted, and Harry could just make out him muttering "_Not Slytherin, Not Slytherin_" under his breath, much to the consternation of the house of the serpents. Eventually he was sorted into Gryffindor, much to the cheers and adulation of the House.

Malfoy went to Slytherin and yet another Weasely went into Gryffindor, Harry heard Olivia mutter that if this Weasely was the same as the twins then she would scream. Finally the sorting was over, Dumbledore gave a short speech and then the feast appeared, Harry and the rest of the fourth years tucked in, and Harry was soon sucked into a conversation about Quidditch.

"Now that we are all fed and watered" called Dumbledore once the feast was over, "It comes to me to give a few start of term notices. First of all Mr Filch would like me to remind you that the list of items now banned in the corridors has been expanded to include _Fanged Frisbees, Screaming YoYo's, _and _Ever bashing Boomerangs_. The full list can be viewed on Mr Filches door and consists of I believe some 437 objects." He paused and his expression turned grave.

"This year, I will inform you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to all those who do not wish to die, a very painful death." Harry's eyebrows rose, that certainly merited investigation, Dumbledore's speech continued, but Harry soon lost interest.

The First week of class passed by pretty quickly, despite Harry's high hopes, the new Defense Professor, Quirrinius Quirrel was nothing but a disappointment, he may have known a lot of material, but his sever stutter prevented any accurate form of communication.

The First years had settled in quickly and split into two factions, those who followed Malfoy like a puppy and, well, those who didn't. The rest of his classes were going well however, Professor Babbling was hailing him as a prodigy in the art of runes, he dedicated a lot of time to it, seeing as how it was so useful in many areas of magic.

In fact, Harry would have said the year had gotten off to a perfect start, if it weren't for the fact that he and Miranda had very little time to chat anymore, she was simply swamped in Homework, but they still made time for the occasional conversation here and there.

Nothing really happened until the first Quidditch match of the year. It was Slytherin who fielded practically the same team as the year before, Moran, Flint and Adrian Pucey as chasers, Derek Bole and newcomer Derrick, and Terrence Higgs as seeker, Miles Bletchley was their keeper. Harry thought they were an extremely strong side, and capable of taking the cup if they worked hard enough.

The Gryffindor team had two new members, a chaser by the name of Katie Bell and Longbottom, who had done something to impress McGonagall, and she had responded by putting him on the Quidditch team. The match was due to start, and Harry was just giving his final pre-match pep talk.

"The Gryffindor chasers are good, there's no denying it, however they are also small, we can use our size to force them off the Quaffell if we need to, Bonnie, just do your thing, you fiend on a broomstick" they all chuckled and Harry turned to the beaters.

"Those weasely twins are fiends with those bats, so you have to make sure you keep the bludgers in our possession, hit them hard, hit them straight and by god hit them accurately." The beaters nodded and Harry turned to Higgs,

"Terrence, you've done this before, you know the tricks that Longbottom doesn't know. This is his first match, exploit that, pressure him into making mistakes, and don't worry, the chubby bastard probably can't catch a cold." The team laughed and Harry turned to Bletchley, who gripped his arm in a friendly manner and laughed out

"I know I know Potter, keep my eye on the snitch and don't be an idiot and let the Quaffell in!" Harry grinned at the team, wished them luck and headed back to the stands.

"And their Off!" called Lee Jordan, the new commentator, "the talk of this match is Neville Longbottom is Gryffindor's secret seeker, youngest seeker in a century, let's see him prove why he deserves the spot!" The Gryffindors cheered,

"Slytherin has possession, Pucey passes to Flint who shoots… no it's a feint, passes to Moran, Moran shoots, and it's a goal, 10-0 to Slytherin." The green and silver clad supporters cheered,

"But Gryffindor counterattacks, the lovely young Angelina Johnson has the Quaffell, passes to Spinnett, ouch! Hit by a bludger from Bole, she drops the Quaffell, which is intercepted by Flint, he's going on his own, COME ON WOOD!" screamed Jordan, he then groaned "20 – 0 to Slytherin."

The match proceeded this way, Moran led the team sublimely, calling out plays and executing stunning aerial manoeuvres. The Gryffindor chasers were good, but they couldn't compete with the Irish professional.

30 minutes into the game, the score stood 160 -50, and the Gryffindors were starting to get dirty, or at least the Weasely twins were, they fired two hard bludgers at Bletchley in goal, one hitting his stomach and the other his chest. He fell from the room, and would have fallen to the ground if Harry hadn't managed a quick Levitation charm to halt his descent.

Fortunately Bletchley soon recovered enough to play again, and Madam Hooch issued two penalties for the twins attack. 180-50.

Harry was scanning the pitch intently, looking for openings when he saw Longbottoms broom give a massive lurch, he chuckled, Longbottom had done nothing but circle the pitch high above the play so far, and now he was unable to control his broom. It was pathetic.

However it soon became evident that Longbottom wasn't unable to control his broom, rather the broom seemed to be unable to be controlled. Most of the players on the pitch were watching Neville now, forgetting the game completely. Harry gestured wildly to Flint who had the Quaffell and he cheekily scored Gryffindor 20 more points before Hooch noticed and called a time out.

Suddenly, just as soon as it had started, the bucking broom stopped. Harry noticed what appeared to be a fire in the teacher's stands, but couldn't accurately see what had happened. Neville clambered back onto the broom and play resumed. By this stage it was 200-50, and Harry called a time out almost as soon as Hooch had resumed play.

He flew up to the team, "right, one more goal and we play a full defensive game, don't give them an opening and leave the game up to Higgs, excellent play, we'll play _Beggar's Drift_ first and then follow it up with Dragon Defence. Everyone with me?" he got nods, so returned to the ground.

"And Play is resumed again, after Slytherin coach Potter has a quick word with his team. Pucey has the Quaffell and is storming up the pitch, Johnson and Bell move to tackle, Pucey passes to Moran, who passes to Flint, back to Moran, Back to Flint, who passes to… Nobody? No Pucey came out of nowhere then, Pucey scores. Slytherin lead by 160 points." Harry smirked at the successful application of his newest move. Distract the opposition chasers so they leave one player open.

Slytherin then clearly changed to defensive play, No matter how many times the Gryffindor's tried to find an opening, they were rebuffed by the flexible shield of the Slytherin chasers.

"And it appears Longbottom and Higgs have seen the Snitch, they are zooming after something, yes, there it is, Higgs has the advantage, he's going to catch it, no, he's hit by a Bludger from a Weasely. Longbottom reaches… Oh sweet Merlin, he's fallen off his broom, Longbottom is in the dirt after a nasty fall" The Slytherins were falling over themselves laughing, however they stopped when a dusty fist rose into the air, Neville had the Snitch in his hand. The Gryffindor's cheered loudly for a second before realising they had still lost the match.

"And Slytherin Win, 210 – 200, after an uh… unorthodox catch by Neville Longbottom."

Harry cheered, making his way down to his team mates. They laughed and he joined them all in a group hug, suddenly they were enveloped by a massive pair of arms, Harry turned,

"Julian!" he cried out in surprise, Julian Urquhart, the captain who had led Slytherin to three consecutive winning seasons was behind him, "What are you doing here?" Julian laughed,

"I'm playing for the Wimborne wasps now, I had a free weekend so I thought I may as well come and see my old team!" he laughed and ruffled Harry's short hair, "You've still got it I see Superstar!" Harry grimaced at the nickname.

Together the team plus Urquhart made their way back to the common room for the traditional party.

That had been a party to remember, and Harry had discovered for the first time, how lethal Firewhisky could be for an untrained drinker. He had ended up being put to bed by Miranda at 3.30, after Olivia had tried to teach him River dance, it turned out he didn't have a natural talent, and after he had knocked over a table Miranda had decided he'd had enough.

With one arm firmly around his waist, she lugged him up the stairs, vowing to take revenge as soon as she could, and at the same time deciding that Harry's leprechaun impression needed some serious work.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Harry awoke the next day with a pounding headache, he groaned loudly, and heard a corresponding groan from the foot of his bed, he looked down and was bemused to see Charles and Graham were asleep by his feet, still fully clothed and looking rather worse for wear.

"Wa time 'sit?" Asked a groggy Charles, his voice slurred and eyes half closed.

"Er… round eleven I think" replied Harry, his voice sounded too loud and he closed his eyes again, letting his head fall back onto the pillow.

Half an hour later, the three boys managed to make their way down to the common room. It was evident the elves hadn't yet cleared up after the party, empty bottles were littered on the floor and there were more than a few passed out bodies on the sofas and chairs.

"Harry!" called out Marcus, then winced at the volume. "I have headache draughts, Snape came round earlier. He umm… wasn't impressed." Harry accepted the potion gratefully, drinking it down as fast as possible. His head cleared quickly and he grinned at Marcus.

"Quite a night right?" he asked with a small grin, Marcus shrugged embarrassed

"I uh… I don't remember too much of it I'm afraid." The others chuckled and together they made their way up to the great hall for a spot of late breakfast. It seemed all of Slytherin were trying to appear as normal as possible, but it wasn't quite working, many of the teachers were looking at them with disapproving looks on their faces.

"Halloween tonight right?" asked Olivia from beside Harry, she looked as bad as he felt, even with the Headache draught, her makeup was smudged and her eyes bloodshot. Harry grunted non-committedly, not fully comfortable with words yet.

"Thank Merlin it's Saturday came a grumble from behind them, Harry turned and saw Bole and Bletchley stumble into the hall, robes crumpled, and red marks on their faces from where they had slept.

The meal took far longer than usual, every bite took an age to settle in Harry's stomach, therefore it was nearly midday by the time He got up with the rest of his year mates and headed back to the common room.

He was intercepted by an irate blonde in the Entrance Hall. Miranda grabbed Harry's arm and bodily dragged the taller boy out onto the lawn in front of the castle.

"3 years Potter, I have been trying to get the concept of self-restraint through your abominably thick skull for three years, and yet first time someone offers you alcohol you are up on the table trying to river dance. River Dance Potter!" Harry shuffled his feet embarrassed, looking up to meet her eyes.

She was looking down at him with a mixture of exasperation and enjoyment, it wasn't often now that she was able to get one up on him like this nowadays, and she liked to enjoy every opportunity.

"Sorry." He replied simply and she rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky most of the rest of the house was equally inebriated, else I might be seriously unhappy." Harry grinned up at her and she swatted his arm. Together they made their way back to the common room. During breakfast someone had cleaned the room back to its normal state, the smell of beer and sweat had been removed, and the upturned tables righted.

They separated once inside and Harry went upstairs to have a shower and try to wash some of the smell off himself.

Most of the house was back to normal that evening. They put on their best robes and made their way up to the Halloween feast. The Great Hall had been decorated superbly, pumpkins the size of carriages were littered around the corners of the hall, whilst strings of cobwebs were strung around the floating candles. Most impressive of all were the swarms of live bats that danced their way around the air, forming images of skulls and spiders in the air above them.

The Feast was as excellent as was usual, Harry's appetite had returned full force and he happily helped himself to two enormous plates of food, as the food and butter beer flowed, he became more and more at ease, laughing and joking with the his house, with his friends.

Just as he started to tuck into a thick slice of treacle tart however, Professor Quirrell burst into the Great Hall, he sprinted up the divide between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, shouting as he did so

"TROLL! TROLL, In the Dungeons… thought you ought to know!" after he had finished he collapsed in a dead faint, a few of the seventh years snickered at his fate.

The rest of the hall however had erupted in pandemonium, Harry watched as the Malfoy heir cried out in panic, his face becoming even paler than usual, the scene was similar at most other tables, though Harry noticed that Longbottom and his faithful sidekick Weasely were looking at each other guiltily.

BANG! BANG!

The Hall went silent and Dumbledore lowered his wand. "Prefects will lead their houses back to their dormitories. Immediately please." Three houses hastened to obey as the teachers hurried off to deal with the troll. Slytherin stayed put. Harry overheard Bonnie Moran and Patrick Dwight, the tweo seventh year prefects having a hasty conversation.

"Obviously not Dwight" Bonnie was saying, "There's a troll down there!"

"Well fine, why don't we stay put?"

"No, let's go to the Library. I need to pick up a reference book for Arithmancy anyway." Several around the pair chuckled, and together the house made their way upstairs to the Library.

They were stopped on the second floor when a terrified looking Ronald Weasely pelted around the corner, bouncing off the opposite wall. He slowed to a stop when he saw the amused looking Slytherins.

"T-t-ttroll!" he cried, pointing back the way he had come, as if to Support his declaration, an inhuman bellow sounded from around the corner, shaking the castle walls. Nobody moved. Suddenly Longbottom appeared, looking equally terrified, his arm wrapped securely around Granger. They pelted through the Slytherins and Ron quickly followed after his friends.

There was an eerie silence, as everybody looked around, not sure what to do. However that was soon changed when a horrific smell began to waft over the school children, followed by the sound of enormous feet running down the Corridor. Bonnie took charge quickly.

"Everyone back. Seventh years to the front and cover the rest. MOVE!" Everybody hurried to obey. Harry stayed put however, unwilling to leave his closest friend to hold off a troll. They beat a hurried retreat, but the troll was faster.

It rounded the corner, and saw them. It was huge, 12 feet tall at least, small piggy eyes glared at the children, from its small head. The seventh years and Harry stayed still, not daring to breathe. It had lumpy grey skin and large stubby fingered hands in which it held what appeared to be the trunk of a good sized tree. The troll cocked its head and blinked stupidly, before taking a step forward and raising its club menacingly.

"Kill it! Kill it now!" cried Bonnie, and a hail of lethal spells, most borderline dark slammed into the vast creature. It howled, enraged, but seemingly unhurt. It began to lumber towards them, club raised to strike, the seventh years continued to pelt it with spells, whilst Harry ran up to try and help out.

It swung its club, narrowly avoiding Bonnie, who with Quidditch trained reflexes managed to roll out of the clubs path. Harry sent a cutting curse at its neck, but it was absorbed by the creatures hide. It swung again, catching Terry Blake on the arm, he cried out, and collapsed, limb clearly broken. Harry Grabbed his collar and was able to drag him out of the combat zone quickly.

"Aim for its Eyes and Mouth, quickly!" shouted Bonnie. Miranda managed to strike the beast with a conjunctiva curse, and it flailed blindly. To Harry's horror, he saw the club swinging towards Miranda. There was no way she could escape in time.

Harry reacted on instinct, sending an exploding curse towards the Club, but the spell struck too late. The huge club struck his best friend in the chest and she was sent flying backwards, she struck the wall hard, and didn't move. Harry's curse struck the club and it exploded in a shower of Splinters.

Releasing a primal cry, Harry began to advance towards his fallen friend, keeping up a solid stream of curses, each one darker and more malicious than the last.

"_Ocular Putresco, Hastis Glacis!" _He cried, the first spell struck the trolls eyes, causing them them die and rot instantly, the troll howled in pain, whilst his the spear of ice he had conjured struck it in the shoulder. It bellowed, and hurled the end of its club at Harry, it struck him on the shoulder, and he felt the bone grind and shatter. His vision flashed white, but he gritted his teeth and managed to send out one last Ice spear before his knee's buckled.

Fortunately his aim was true, the long icicle shot from Harry's wand and struck the beast in its open mouth, it easily slid through the unprotected tissue and emerged from the other side of its head. The troll gave a groan, and collapsed forward.

However, Harry wasn't out of the woods yet, as the corpse had fallen right on his exposed left leg, Pinned, and with his shoulder and leg broken, Harry blacked out.

He awoke several hours later in a bright white room. He had been changed into uncomfortable cotton pyjamas, and his leg and shoulder both ached horribly. He looked around, five unconscious figures were in the beds around him, he recognised a few faces, Bonnie lay to his right, her head wrapped in a white bandage. However he couldn't see Miranda amongst them.

He felt his heart tighten and beat rapidly, his stomach clenched as he thought of what that could mean.

"Potter, you're awake. Good." Harry looked up, Madam Pomphrey was before him, Professor Snape to her right and the grave countenance of the headmaster to her left.

"How are you feeling Potter?" asked Snape, his black eyes looked almost concerned.

"I'm quite well Professor, thank you for your concern." He snapped his Occlumency shields up, feeling the peaceful emptiness that they left in his mind. Being emotional right now would not help him.

"I will be the judge of that Potter" the healer interrupted, wand out as she performed several charms on him. He ignored her, his attention returned to his head of house.

"I can't help but notice Miss Rookwood is not here Professor, yet she was injured by the troll, is she alright?" It took all of Harry's very considerable self-control for his emotionless mask not to crack.

"Miss Rookwood is fine Harry my boy, or at least she will be. She has been transferred to St. Mungo's hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She suffered some internal damage and madam Pomphrey didn't wish to take _any_ risks." The headmaster said with a benevolent smile, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"I see, and the rest of the Slytherins?" Harry asked, looking around at the full beds.

"All will make full recoveries, Mr Potter, Miss Rookwood was the worst hit." The potions master said with a nod towards Harry.

"Well I would like to see her. As soon as possible." Madam Pomphrey looked askance

"Absolutely not Potter, you suffered severe injuries, your leg is healed but your shoulder is still in about 30 pieces! You will remain in that bed until I release you." Harry scowled angrily, his green eyes suddenly changed from emotionless to furious in less than a second.

"My friend is in Hospital with severe injuries and you expect me to do _Nothing?!" _He growled angrily, Madam Pomphrey took a step back,

"Harry, don't be angry or upset, Madam Pomphrey simply wants what is best for you. You can look after your friends after you have looked after yourself." Harry ignored the Headmaster and turned to Snape.

"Have you found the bastard who let a troll in Professor?" Madam Pomphrey looked horrified at Harry's language, but Snape sighed,

"Not yet Potter, but we will find him, and he will be brought to justice for what he did." Harry nodded. Forcing his emotions but under control

"Have you considered Professor Quirrell? As the only member of staff not present in the Great Hall when the troll was released, he is the most likely candidate, also the thesis he wrote in 1988 does rather seem to suggest he has an affinity with trolls." Snape looked impressed.

"My my, Harry, that's quite an accusation to make" said Dumbledore, his smile gone now, "However I am impressed by your knowledge." Harry nodded briefly at the Headmaster.

"It was not an accusation Headmaster, merely an observation." Snape nodded, and the Headmaster seemed appeased.

"We are considering all avenues Mr Potter, I assure you this incident will not be forgotten." Snape said, trying to pacify the boy.

"We shall leave you to rest Harry, you may visit Miss Rookwood when you are fully recovered. I will also award yourself and all those who fought the troll 25 points each for your bravery this evening." With that, the three teachers turned and left. Harry sighed letting his head fall back onto the pillow. His shoulder ached something terrible, but his leg was at least feeling better. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

The next morning when Harry awoke, it appeared all of Slytherin was in the Hospital Wing. It seemed most of the Seventh years had woken up, When they saw he was awake, the rest of his year mates hurried over.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I can't believe you killed the troll!"

"Is your shoulder okay?"

"You are a fucking Hero Harry!"

The shouts and praises of his year mates gave Harry a smile, and he attempted to return the gentle hug that Olivia had given him. Marcus gave him a pat on his good shoulder, whilst Clara sat on the end of his bed.

"The whole school is talking about it! Dumbledore announced at breakfast what happened, why did you stay behind? You could have been killed!" Clara scolded him, he gave her a weak grin,

"I was concerned about Miranda, I couldn't leave her!" he tried to appease them, the half Spanish girl sniffed,

"I still don't see what you see in that girl, is it just because she has big boobs?" Harry almost choked, whilst the somewhat prudish Olivia looked horrified.

"She was the first person to try and help me become stronger. It's thanks to her that I am who I am. She deserves my respect. Her big boobs are merely a plus." Clara merely sniffed disdainfully again, but leant forward to give him a gentle hug as well.

They all stayed around Harry's bed for a little while longer discussing what had happened with the troll, however before too long, the bell for classes rang, and they had to leave him, promising to return before too long.

The day passed excruciatingly, when his friends had returned after lunch, Terrence had thought to bring along several books for him from the library, and that helped while away the hours.

As night fell, Harry's shoulder began to itch terribly, then it felt like he had severe pins and needles in it, Madam Pomphrey assured him this meant the bone was knitting itself back together and gave him several potions to help speed up the process.

"It's a good thing Mr Potter, It means I can probably release you tomorrow morning."

The healer was correct once again, Harry's shoulder, whilst not perfect, was at least at a stage where he was able to be released the next day. He was given a large regimen of potions for the next week, but Harry was pleased to be free.

He waited for the Healer to leave, before hurrying over to her fire and flooing to the hospital.

He joined a long queue at the reception, waiting to be shown where to go, the man in front of him seemed to have had his arms replaced with flippers, whilst the man being helped at that time appeared to have dozens of little squid suckered onto his face.

It took a while, but eventually Harry reached the bored looking receptionist.

"whats the problem sir?" she asked in a bored drawl.

"No problem miss, I was hoping to visit my friend, she was brought in a couple of days ago." The woman brought out a list,

"Whats her name then?"

"Rookwood, Miranda Rookwood." The receptionist flitted through the list before finding her name.

"Floor 3, Intensive care ward. Next." Harry walked towards one of the waiting lifts and pushed for the third floor. The life rose quickly, and pinged when it stopped.

"_Floor 3. Intensive care ward and permanent spell damage."_ Came an automated voice. Harry stepped out and walked down the open ward. A round faced, cheerful looking healer stopped him,

"Can I help you?" she asked kindly,

"Er yes, I'm looking for Miranda Rookwood, I was told she was on this floor." The healer nodded and gestured down to the end of the Ward,

"You're in luck, she just woke up, she's still very weak so be careful." Harry thanked her and went to where she had pointed.

"Good morning Potter." Miranda greeted him, her voice weaker than he had ever heard it before. Harry smiled, she looked pretty terrible, her chest was tightly wrapped in cotton bandages, and she had an extremely unpleasant looking bruise across the right side of her face.

"Good to see you too Rookwood." There was a moment of silence

"They said…"

"I was so…" they both spoke at once. Harry gestured for her to continue,

"They said you killed the troll, I hope you don't get a big head after beating me at something." Harry forced a smile, but it was clearly fake,

"Merlin Miranda, I'm glad you're okay, I thought you died!" Harry blurted out. Miranda smiled softly and held out one hand, Harry took it and she brought him into a hug, they stayed that way for a long time.

Harry lay on the thin Hospital bed next to his best friend as she slowly stroked his hair, his head upon his chest, the two of them gaining comfort from the other after their Harrowing ordeal.

"I can't believe you thought I would die Potter, I'll always be there to bust your balls, don't you doubt it." Harry gave a short laugh,

"You better be, god knows where I would be if you weren't around!"

"Hole in the ground most likely" she replied casually,

"Most likely" Harry agreed, before they fell silent once more. The hospital continued to bustle around them, and the sun slowly sank behind the cloud. The two lay in silence, however too soon, they were interrupted.

"Mr Potter, I thought I had told you that I would take you to see Miss Rookwood when you were feeling better, not when you thought it most convenient."

"Come to collect you wayward student professor Snape?" Miranda asked, her voice still very weak,

"Indeed Miss Rookwood, It is good to see you awake once more"

"Thank you Professor. You had better go Harry, It's never a good idea to keep Professor Snape waiting." Harry got up, his joints stiff after having lain still for so long, and together he and his housemaster returned to the castle.

The next six weeks introduced a new element to Harry's time at Hogwarts. Miranda had returned to Hogwarts, and to celebrate her return (for it marked the end of the slight depression that had gripped the house after 7 of its members were hospitalised) they had organised a party, it was not wild like after a Quidditch game, but they stayed up late drinking and eating, sitting around the fire and toasting food in its embers.

The change came however, as Harry and Miranda began to get closer, they had always been close, and their relationship had changed from Mentor student, to friends and equals, and then to best friends, and now it seemed to have changed again, but Harry wasn't sure what it had changed to. They had become a lot closer since the troll incident, and their relationship had a new tactile element to it. Hugs were given where none would have been before.

Harry was not, no matter what Clara would like to think, naïve in the ways of relationships, however he refused to even consider attempting anything like that with Miranda. She was too important to lose.

Thus November turned to December and the Christmas holidays began, most of the House left, leaving just half a dozen Slytherins and Harry grew to enjoy the peace and quiet that the empty house offered. He quickly finished his homework, and then delved into his latest favourite subject. The dismantling and creation of ward detectors and defences. It was tricky work, requiring great patience and logic, Harry relished the challenges.

Christmas morning dawned bright and cold. Frost had turned the lawns in front of the castle white and bristly. Harry rose early and took a long shower. When he entered the Slytherin common room, it was to discover that the remaining Slytherins were waiting for him, he joined them on the Sofa and awaited the last few members of the house.

After a long breakfast filled with jokes and laughter, they all retired to the common room for the traditional presents.

It was an excellent haul in Harry's opinion, from Marcus he received _The Quidditch Players Playbook_, whilst the Montagues had given him an elegant wand wrist Holster made of dark brown dragon hide. From Terrence he had received a book called _Taking down trolls: a must have guide for any troll hunter _with a note inside reading

_For next time_.

Harry had smirked at that, but the book could certainly offer excellent advice on trolls, he already knew how fearsome opponent they could be.

Olivia had given him a large representation of a Quidditch pitch in which he could better demonstrate his plays.

His other friends had given him sweets, and a few books, but his gift from Miranda had surprised him. It was a simple, unadorned Silver Crucifix on a thin silver chain. He had once confessed how he retained many Christian beliefs, seeing as how it was a Christian Orphanage, and he was touched by the fact that she had clearly been listening.

He turned to her and gave her a firm Hug which she returned.

"It's enchanted, it'll warm up if there is poison in your food, and will go cold if someone near you is using magical methods of concealment."

"Sentimental and Practical. Thank you so much" she just smiled,

"Can I put it on you?"

"Of course." He bowed his head, and she fastened the silver chain behind his head, then tucked the cross into his shirt. Patting his chest where it lay. Before giving him a peck on the cheek and returning to her present pile.

The next night, on Boxing Day, Harry was sat upon his bed in his empty dormitory, trying to get to grips with the new take on his friendship with Miranda, as the clock struck midnight, Harry sighed. He would take a walk that would settle his mind. He changed his clothes into a pair of dark trousers and blue shirt.

Slipping out of the silent dormitory, he made his way up the stairs to the corridors. He heard footsteps up ahead and quickly cast a disillusionment and silencing charm over himself. However whoever it was didn't pass him, so he carried on walking. After 15 minutes of walking or so, he saw an open door to one of the disused charms classrooms.

Inside he saw a curious sight. Neville Longbottom was sat upon the floor, looking up at a mirror with a look of absolute longing on his face. Harry thought this was a peculiar expression to have whilst looking at a mirror. Harry knew the boy-who-lived was arrogant, but anyone would think the boy wanted to marry himself.

Whatever it was that was happening in the room, it was more interesting than whatever was happening in the corridors, so slipped inside. The door creaked a little when he hip brushed it, and Neville whirled around, however he clearly didn't see Harry through the charms for he quickly turned back to the mirror.

Harry sat upon one of the disused desks and watched. It was very dull, but Harry was hardly in a position to sleep. His interest was piqued however when he thought he saw a shimmer in the air by the door. He quickly used his magical vision to determine that there was indeed someone entering the room, also under a disillusionment charm.

After a few minutes of watching, Harry saw the disillusionment fall to reveal the Headmaster.

"Back again Neville?" asked the white haired Wizard. Neville spun, and looked shocked to see the headmaster.

"Headmaster, I, I'm sorry to be outside sir." The headmaster waved his hand cheerily.

"Do not worry my boy, it is Christmas, I am prepared to overlook this one excursion."

"Thank you Headmaster, I didn't see you come in." Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes, funny the things we don't see when we are invisible." Neville paused before asking

"What's this mirror do?" Dumbledore paused, clearly thinking hard,

"That" he began, "is a difficult question, The Mirror of Erised holds many secrets, however, may I ask what you see in the mirror?"

"I see… I'm head boy and Quidditch captain, everybody is impressed by me!" Dumbledore nodded

"Yes, and you're friend Ron saw himself as greater than his brothers, he who has always been in his family saw himself becoming greater than all of them. So tell me Neville, what do you think the Mirror shows us?"

"It shows us… what we want, what we really want?" Dumbledore sighed,

"Yes and no, let me put it like this, the happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see himself as he is. The mirror shows nothing less than our deepest and greatest desires." Neville looked just as confused by the explanation.

"I would suggest you return to bed Neville, It is getting late. So put on that remarkable cloak of yours, off you trot." Neville stood and put his invisibility cloak around his shoulders. Harry was shocked to see that it made him invisible even to his magical sight. Just as the chubby boy reached the door, Dumbledore called him

"Neville, It is not good to dwell on dreams, no matter how pleasant, the mirror will be removed from here tomorrow, and I ask that you do not look for it, men have wasted away before it, and it would not do for you to join them."

"Yes Professor…. Professor?"

"Yes Neville?"

"What do you see in the mirror?" The headmaster chuckled,

"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woollen socks. I never have enough pairs, another Christmas has passed, and yet people insist on sending me books." He finished mournfully, before his eyes fastened on Neville, "Now bed Neville." The boy left and left Harry and Dumbledore alone.

"He's an interesting young man isn't he Mr Potter?" asked the Headmaster, Harry cursed himself for thinking he could have remained hidden.

"Well he's certainly something" he replied cautiously.

"I must say, I had hoped his dearest ambition would have been a bit greater." Harry had to agree with that, the saviour of the Wizarding world's dearest ambition was to be head boy, it was a bit pathetic in Harry's opinion.

"Have you looked in the Mirror Harry?" asked Dumbledore, he shook his head and the aged Headmaster motioned with his hand for Harry to stand before it.

Harry nearly gasped by what he saw. The mirror showed an image of Harry, he looked older, perhaps early twenties, in this image, Miranda was held tightly to his side, with his friends arranged around him. They all looked proud, confident and successful. Before them were many thousands of people, looking up at him with awe and wonder. It took Harry a long time to tear his gaze away from the image.

_Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_

I show not you face but your hearts desire.

"What do you see Harry?" Asked Dumbledore, Harry almost answered, but then he looked at the headmaster, the man's face looked just a little too interested in the answer and Harry became suspicious.

"That is an incredibly personal thing to ask." Harry replied evenly

"Is it? I am just curious." Replied the elderly man, eyes twinkling in the dark. Harry didn't buy it for a second.

"To know the greatest desire of my heart? I would have described that as personal yes sir."

"Well, Will you tell me what you see?" Dumbledore tried again, Harry considering making up a story, but dismissed the idea.

"No."

"Very well. Then may I suggest you return to bed?" Harry nodded, but then turned back to the mirror, he kept his eyes away from the glass, instead using his magical sight to examine it.

He quickly identified several rune clusters, each of which contained dozens of runes, the whole mirror was surrounded by such strong magic that Harry ran his hand over the frame, trying to feel the warmth of the latent power it possessed.

"Harry, the Mirror is ancient, older than you or I, It was made by an old friend of mine, Nicholas Flamel, one of his greater creations in my opinion, do not try to understand it, it would take a lifetime of study." Harry paused at that

"This mirror was made by Nicholas Flamel? Then it could be ancient! Although I would hardly suggest that this mirror is a greater work than the Philosophers stone."

Dumbledore's eye twitched at the mention of the stone, something Harry picked up on. The man suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"The stone could grant one immeasurable power, Wealth, Immortality." Harry pressed, carefully watching the Headmasters expression. It was a very dangerous game he was playing, he wasn't arrogant enough to assume he could beat the Headmaster and veteran politician at the game of words.

"Yes, Harry, the stone is powerful, but power is nothing without a cause, the mirror could give one that cause." Harry considered that, the mirror was powerful in a sense, it could be used on enemies to exploit their hidden desires.

"So you suggest that neither should be used without the other?" Harry pried,

"I would certainly believe that the mirror and stone do coexist to a certain extent."

"Then they should be kept together, to stop one being used without the other, the mirror to grant cause to power, the stone to prevent someone being destroyed by being unable to achieve their dreams?" Dumbledore looked extremely uncomfortable, and shifted slightly on his foot.

"Well, certainly." He said cautiously.

"Well does that mean the stone is in Hogwarts? If you do not believe they should be separated, then you would do your utmost to keep them together?" Dumbledore's eye twitched again, and Harry knew he had got to the truth.

"The Stone and Mirror sometimes must be separated, as in this case, to prevent a greater evil." The headmaster said, his voice strong and If not for Harry's strength in Occlumency, Harry may have been overcome by the slight compulsion charm laced into the headmaster's words. As it was, Harry was able to ignore it.

"Yes Headmaster"

"Good Harry, now may I suggest you go to bed."

"Yes Headmaster." He replied, and left through the door. However, his midnight walk had done nothing to calm his mind, instead it now raced. The Philosopher Stone, arguably the most powerful object in Magical Britain, was in Hogwarts.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning Harry awoke late, he yawned widely and stretched out, hearing the satisfied crack and pop of his muscles. He looked at his clock, it was eleven in the morning and Harry sighed, he would have to rush to get any breakfast. He skipped his shower and went straight to brushing his teeth.

When he arrived in the great hall it was just in time to see the food disappear from the table. He cursed his bad luck and slowly walked back into the entrance hall.

"Missed Breakfast?" he turned, and to his surprise saw Cedric behind him, he grimaced and nodded and Cedric laughed at his misfortune.

"Don't worry Harry, do you know where the Kitchens are?" Harry shook his head and Cedric put his arm around Harry's shoulders and led him through a part of the castle Harry had never been to before.

"So how have you been Harry? I only ever see you in Transfiguration and you always ace that!" Harry laughed

"That's pretty much it I'm afraid, I've been doing pretty well in school so far!" Cedric grinned at him, Harry truly like the Hufflepuff, they didn't speak much, but Cedrics constant and genuine friendliness made it easy to like him.

They carried on chatting about nothing, until they arrived at a painting of a bowl of fruit.

"Tickle the pear Harry." Cedric ordered with a small smile on his face, Harry did so, and to his surprise it giggled and formed a doorknob.

Inside Harry was shocked to find a full size replica of the Great Hall. Inside were hundreds of House Elves, they were mostly washing up after breakfast, but a few hurried over.

"How can we's be helping sirs?" they asked, looking up excitedly.

"Harry here slept through breakfast I'm afraid." The elves looked Horrified that someone had missed out on their cooking and quickly led him to a table. Cedric slip onto the bench next to him, and together they carried on chatting.

Three Hufflepuff sixth years casually wandered in as they were chatting, looked around and waved at Cedric, they sauntered over and casually fell into the bench opposite.

"I thought I saw you at breakfast Leo?" Cedric asked one of the boys, he looked someone surprised that Cedric was talking to him, but grinned happily,

"Felt like some cheese scones…" Harry blinked, the boy didn't seem all there, and Harry noticed his two friends looked the same. He raised an eyebrow at Cedric

"Ced… are they normally like this?" he asked puzzled, Cedric shrugged

"Most of my house is, don't worry, you get used to it," they were prevented from further conversation as their food arrived. Several bacon sarnies for Harry, as well as sausages, toast, Marmalade and some Sautéed potatoes. Harry grinned at his pile of food and tucked in with relish.

Cedric received a slice of toast and jam, and they ate with some small talk, before lapsing into comfortable silence, interrupted occasionally by the nonsensical chatter of the Hufflepuff's.

When they were both full, Harry promised to chat with Cedric soon and then returned to the common room.

He sat on the sofa, and was soon lulled deep into his thoughts by the soothing fire. He was deep in thought about his conversation with Dumbledore. The Headmaster had as good as admitted that the Stone was somewhere in Hogwarts, and to Harry that meant it was most probably under heavy guard in the forbidden third floor corridor.

If Harry were a Gryffindor, or maybe if he didn't like to analyse any situation before he threw himself into it, he would have immediately gone to explore. However, Harry was not like this and he was lost in his mind trying to remember everything he knew about the corridor.

_Out of bounds to all those who do not wish to die, a very painful death._

Well that made it easier, if he was caught he merely had to state he had a desire to die a painful death and he was out of that one. Useful as that was however, it did not help in getting him past whatever obstacles might exist.

He wanted that stone, with it, he could become so much greater, money, long life, this was a one in a million chance to elevate himself to greatness.

He sighed to himself, it would appear that he would have to go through the door and go through the obstacles, a less elegant approach certainly, but it would be effective. He had the whole year to discover how to reach the stone, more than enough time. However, even if he could reach it now, it would be unwise to do so, He didn't wand Dumbledore to have too much time to consider who took it, he needed to be out of the picture as soon as possible.

After exams, the whole school would be busy relaxing, making it easier to sneak in and out without being missed. That would be the best time to do it. He also decided not to probe the defences until at least May, that way Dumbledore wouldn't be alerted to the problem. Until then, he would act like a normal Fourth Year.

The rest of the year passed fast, Harry was being pressed by Bonnie to take a greater and greater role in the Quidditch team as she crammed for her NEWT's, Harry was okay with that, he took a more proactive role in training the team, managing the practices, ordering which plays would work and who should do what and when. Bonnie took it as a blessing, as she simply got told what to do, and didn't have to think.

Professor Snape had come down to watch the practices and had been impressed with how the team fared, they had been working hard, all of them knew what they had to do, Slytherin had held the Quidditch cup for five Years and none of them would want the ignominy of being the team that lost the cup.

It was becoming apparent that Gryffindor were the biggest competition, Oliver Wood had always been a Quidditch fanatic, and now that he was captain had a zealous devotion, there had been several clashes as Gryffindor and Slytherin both tried to take advantage of bad weather conditions.

One Morning in Early February, Harry had been informed by Bonnie that today was heavy rain, weather that the Slytherins were unable to play at their optimum in, and that there were be an unscheduled practice after lunch.

When Wood and the Gryffindor's arrived to take advantage of the same conditions, wands had been drawn, and it was only the timely intervention of Madam Hooch that spells were not cast. However, thanks to their mad schedule, Harry was pleased to say that his team were able to pull off plays he would never have considered before. It was looking good for six years of Slytherin Glory.

The year progressed steadily, Harry maintained excellent grades without too much sweat, whilst at the same progressing in his studies, which had now been expanded to include anything that would get him a certain stone. To that extent he had gone over several detailed maps of the castle that showed that the forbidden corridor in fact contained a trap door that led to an otherwise inaccessible part of the castle, the ideal place to set up a spread of defences.

On April the 24th, Harry was sat in his usual seat in the common room, Bonnie on one side of him and Marcus on the other.

"I'm telling you Harry, send me and Moran to the left with the Quaffell, and then Pucey might be left unmarked!" Marcus was exclaiming loudly,

"Marcus we already have that move, its beggars Gauntlet. We practiced it today." Moran had said with a quirk of her lips. Marcus looked embarrassed.

"What about this" Harry drew several lines on the blackboard they were studying, "we send two chasers here" he jabbed at one part of the model pitch at their feet, "with the Quaffell, with one chaser too far away from the action for the others to consider him a threat. Chasers throw Quaffell to the seeker, who gets it to this chaser." Both of them studied the move.

"The seeker isn't allowed to handle the Quaffell Harry."

"He doesn't have to, just use his broom like a bat, if not that then replace the seeker with a beater, who has an actual bat."

"It's very simple." Bonnie said cautiously.

"And nothing like it has been done on the Hogwarts pitch in the last four years." Harry exclaimed "No one will see it coming!" Bonnie opened her mouth to say something when they were interrupted by a first year.

"Excuse me Miss Moran" the girl asked timidly,

"What is it Tracey?" Bonnie asked casually, still paying attention to Harry's suggestion.

"Draco Malfoy says that Longbottom and the oaf Hagrid has hatched a baby dragon." The three on the sofa looked at the girl in shock.

"A… Dragon?" Bonnie asked sceptically. Tracey nodded

"A Norwegian Ridgeback he says." Bonnie let out a frustrated sigh,

"Very well, bring him over here." Tracey scurried off and a few seconds later, Draco Malfoy swaggered over, looking incredibly pleased about something.

"Malfoy, Tracey Davis says you saw a dragon. Is this true?" Malfoy gave a wide grin.

"Well yes, the oaf hatched it tonight, I saw him Longbottom, Granger and the Weasely down at his hut." Bonnie looked at him confused.

"What were you doing in Hagrids Hut?" she asked,

"No, I was outside the hut, I saw it through the window." Draco explained,

"Why were you spying on Hagrids hut?" Harry asked equally confused, Malfoys cheeks pinked,

"Well… I was looking for dirt on Longbottom, make him lose some house points."

"You don't need to spy on him for that, from what I hear, he loses enough points in Potions as it is." Marcus spoke up, the four Slytherins all chuckled.

"Let me get this straight, at this very moment, there is a baby Norwegian Ridgeback in Hagrids hut?" asked Bonnie, Malfoy gave several quick nods.

"Hagrid lives in a wooden house…" Marcus said slowly,

"Well he's never had much of a brain has he, probably bought it in one of his drunken binges." Harry added his two pence, the others laughed.

"So… what do we do? Asked Malfoy, "Tell Snape?" Harry shook his head.

"If revenge is what you want, merely telling Snape won't be enough, plausible deniability, Only Hagrid would be punished. We need Snape to catch them at it."

Bonnie smirked, "since when have you had it out for Longbottom?" she asked

"Since he insulted me in Madam Malkins this summer." Harry told her.

That night, Harry sent two letters, one he scrawled in a passable imitation of Hagrids untidy writing and sent to the _Golden trio of Gryffindor_ and the other went to Snape.

The first read,

_Neville,_

_I need help tomorrow, come to my house after class_

_Hagrid_

The second:

_Dear Professor Snape_

_It has come to my attention that certain illicit practices will be taking place in the gamekeeper Hagrid's hut tomorrow after class. I would appreciate if you could investigate this matter fully._

_Thank you_

He didn't sign the second letter, but knew the Potions Master would know it was from him. This would be fun, he had never really had time to prank people before, and whilst potentially getting four people in trouble with the law for illegal Dragon breeding, harbouring a Class A restricted species and unlawful possession of an endangered magical creature was not the typical sort of Prank, Harry thought it quite fun.

He, Bonnie Marcus and Draco therefore were hanging around in the Entrance hall as soon as class ended. Neville, Hermione and Ron all hurried out to the Hut with concerned expressions on their faces, and not three minutes after Snape, looking particularly malicious followed them. He gave the four Slytherins a nod before heading down.

Satisfied the deed was done, Harry led them back down to the common room, the Gossip mill of Hogwarts was so effective he was sure he would hear about any punishment soon enough.

To his surprise however, he didn't discover the fate of the Gryffindor's and Hagrid through the Rumour mill, instead it was through an announcement at Supper.

"Students, Students!" Dumbledore shouted, his countenance grave, the hall quickly fell silent.

"It came to my attention that there would seriously illegal events occurring at Hogwarts. Mr Hagrid, gamekeeper and keeper of keys here at Hogwarts has been found harbouring a baby dragon at the school." Whispers and concerned murmurs erupted around the Hall, but Dumbledore carried on regardless.

"As this was not his first incident involving dangerous magical creatures, he has been taken away by Aurors until such a time as he Ministry sees fit to release him." This caused yet more Whispers.

"It also falls to me to let you know that due to certain students being aware of these illegal deeds, I have had no choice but to take 300 points from Gryffindor." The large hourglass filled with rubies suddenly emptied leaving only a small pile in its place." There was stunned silence in the Hall, and all eyes turned to the Gryffindor table, where Neville, Ron and Hermione were sitting looking miserable.

Suddenly, a couple of seventh year Slytherins began to clap slowly, the applause spread through the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables, the Hufflepuff table looked bemused at Gryffindor's plight. Hermione Granger suddenly stood up and fled the table in tears, Harry caught Neville's eye and raised his Goblet in a mock salute, the boy flushed scarlet in anger.

After the exciting events of April, spirits were high in the Slytherin common room, with the loss of 300 points, Slytherin had no realistic opposition to the House cup. However it didn't take long for the joyful mood to diminish.

It was exam season.

For five days, Harry and the rest of the school slaved away over papers, Harry was extremely confident that he had aced the wand based classes, as well as Ancient runes and Arithmancy, but the other classes he was far less sure about. As he left the great hall of his final exam, he decided to go down to the lake to relax.

He was just returning to the Slytherin when he overheard a fascinating conversation and stopped to listen.

"No Longbottom you can't. The headmaster has been called away on urgent business at the Ministry, he will not return until tomorrow at the earliest." Dumbledore was away? This would be the ideal time to make a bid for the stone Harry thought, he carried on listening though as Longbottom blurted out,

"He's gone? But he can't be, it's practically an invitation for Snape to steal it!" he cried in apparent panic,

"Professor Snape Potter, and steal what?"

"The Philosophers stone!" the Weasely cried out, Harry blinked, they thought Snape was after the stone? They were even stupider than Harry had thought!

"How do you know…." McGonagall began, but cut herself off, "Professor Snape is not after the stone, I assure you Longbottom, he helped protect it." Evidently she was about to be cut off because she said loudly,

"No Longbottom! I will not hear about it, go outside and enjoy the weather, and please don't attempt any more ridiculous heroics, Gryffindor can hardly cope with another loss of points!" Harry sniggered.

The conversation was over and Harry hurried back to the common room. There was little he could do until this evening, and so he picked up his book, _Gadding with Ghouls_ and walked slowly out of the Common room to the lake to while away the hours before the biggest night of his life.

That evening, at around 10pm, Harry was restlessly sat in the Common Room, he was trying to appear relaxed, however it was impossible, his stomach was churning and he felt bile at the back of his throat whenever he swallowed.

"What's the matter Harry?" Miranda asked slightly concerned, Harry grinned at her,

"I might just change my fate tonight." He replied, she looked at him confused, and put her hand on his forearm,

"It's not going to be dangerous is it?" she asked, he squeezed her hand softly,

"I don't know, probably quite dangerous though. However I promise, Promise Miranda that if this pays off, our fate will be forever changed for the better." The beautiful blonde looked at him deep in his eyes and saw the excitement and passion in them. She gave him a small smile,

"How can I help?"

"You can't, I don't want you involved, if I get caught then things will go catastrophically for me." She nodded slowly,

"So I can do nothing?" she asked.

"No… Yes, Your House elf can apparate into Hogwarts can't it?" He asked hopefully, the girl blinked,

"I've never tried, Minnie!" she called and with a crack the elf appeared before her.

"How can Minnie serve mistress?" the elf asked, bowing low.

"Minnie, you are to obey all of Harry's commands tonight as though they are my own, come when he calls and do whatever he asks. Do you understand?" the elf turned to Harry and nodded,

"Minnie is to treat Mistress' Harry as though Master Harry is Mistress." It said quickly, Miranda thought through the phrase before she nodded.

"Exactly Minnie. You may go." Minnie bowed low and then vanished with a crack, "anything else I can do to help?" she asked, Harry thought for a moment. "I need a detection ward on Quirrells door by tomorrow morning, preferably tonight, I have a feeling he will be involved in this." Miranda nodded once.

"Well if that's all I can do for you, then at least take this." Miranda reached in around Harry's neck and pulled the Crucifix he still wore out from in his shirt. She gave it a lingering kiss, then placed it back in Harry's shirt.

"Good Luck." She said, then walked away, up to the girl's dorms, Harry watched her go, and sighed to himself, this was it. Harry waited until eleven before hurrying up to the dorms. He changed into a pair of black trousers that offered plenty of movement, as well as a black jumper, then hurried back down to the common room, he cast a disillusionment charm, Silencing charm and odour removing spell upon himself and stepped out into the hall.

He reached the third floor and examined the door. He saw nothing, but turned on his magical sight and as he expected saw a tiny detection ward scheme on the door frame. He drew his wand and carefully nullified it, before opening the door.

The room beyond was long and low, and Harry caught sight of the trapdoor he planned to investigate. However, there was a problem, a giant three headed problem.

The first layer of defence was a Cerberus, Harry dared not breathe, but fortunately, his anti-detection spells worked, with nothing to see, hear or smell, the dog was oblivious to his presence. He crept to the trapdoor, and opened it as quietly as possible, the hinges squeaked, and Harry froze. Fortunately however the beast was clearly sleepy and ignored the noise.

_It's a rough road that leads to the heights of Greatness_, Harry thought to himself as he fell through the blackness. Fortunately this rough road had a smooth landing and Harry took a few moments to recover, however he quickly took out his wand. "_Lumos_" he whispered and to his horror found that in the darkness long green vines had wrapped around his legs.

He cast his mind back to what this plant was, his mind supplied Devils snare. He had studied that in first year… _first year?_ He thought, perplexed, however he brushed off the easy obstacle, casting a low powered _incedio_ to force the vines to retreat.

He clambered out of the vine pit and headed towards the only door. He found himself in a brightly lit chamber, it was quite small, but with a high ceiling. Above his head dozens of shiny… things fluttered. He walked over to the door on the other side and tried the handle. It resisted a simple unlocking charm, and Harry tried to think up a solution. He looked back up at the flying things.

What were they? Birds? Insects? Suddenly he realised. _Keys!_ Winged keys! He looked around the room and saw by the door he had entered in by a broomstick. This was frustrating, Harry was no seeker, this wouldn't be easy, however he'd come this far!

He examined the lock, and determined he was most probably looking for a big old key. Silver, and at least 3 cm's high. He kicked off from the ground and quickly ascended to the other keys.

He looked around the chamber, and saw the key he was after. He flew after it, but after five minutes of chasing it wildly, he had achieved nothing and now was hot and sweaty.

He examined the keys angrily, in frustration he drew his wand and cast a wide area flame spell, to his delight it worked and a great swathe of keys caught fire, the feathers of their wings burning to ashes, making the keys fall to the ground. Harry burnt the rest and landed, sifting through the pile of Keys, which were rapidly regrowing their wings until he found the one he wanted. He fit it into the door and it unlocked smoothly.

The keys had already returned to the air, wings fully reformed, and Harry released the correct key.

The fourth layer of defence was fairly obvious in what he had to do. It was a giant chess set, each piece at least seven feet tall. He tried to cross the board, but one of the pieces moved to intercept him. "Only the Victor may pass" rasped the king in a gravelly voice.

Harry nodded his head, at least this was something he was good at. He took the place of a Black Bishop, and the game got underway.

His opponent was good, it didn't fall for many of Harry's obvious traps, and tricked Harry into losing a few of his pawns early on. However, Harry wasn't Slytherin's reigning chess master for no good reason, and for every piece he lost, he took three from the whites.

20 minutes into the game, Harry had the king in check mate, It had been a fun game, and Harry wished he could play the opponent in real life more often, it was more of a challenge than most people offered him. Once the King dropped his sword and Crown, Harry was allowed to pass through to the next chamber.

He smelt it before he saw it, a horrendous stench filled the room. In the room before him stood a 13 foot tall troll, larger than the one from Halloween, this one also held a club filled with rusted nails sticking out of it.

Harry mentally thanked Terrence for his book on Troll hunting, he hadn't expected the _Next time_ to be so soon, but he was glad to have read it. Trolls are highly resistant to traditional magical attack he remembered, however they have no special defence against elemental or physical damage.

After reapplying the silencing and disillusionment charms, Harry went on the offensive. _Imbrignis!_ Harry thought, wordlessly send the spray of flaming liquid at the troll, it stuck to the trolls skin, and before long the beast had become a raging inferno, bellowing and swinging it's club wildly as it slowly burnt to death.

Hurrying forward, Harry passed the still twitching corpse and entered the next room.

If the troll was Quirrells defence, then this must be Snapes, it was a riddle, simple as that. A test that might stump some more foolish wizards and contained _none_ _of_ _the foolish wand waving_ that Snape so deplored.

However, Harry's analytical mind made short work of the simple riddle, and he picked up the bottle and drank, advancing to the next room.

This was evidently the final test. Before him, impressive as the last time he had seen it stood the Mirror of Erised. Harry slowly advanced towards it, gently stroking one hand down the frame.

The mirror was clearly the key, but how. Harry thought back to what Dumbledore had said. "_The Mirror and stone do coexist to a certain extent"_ was it possible the stone was _in_ the mirror? He looked into the glass, and once again saw himself, Miranda pressed to his side, friends behind him, but this time the mirror Harry held the stone.

Presuming his guess to be accurate, Harry tried to will the stone out of the mirror. It was unsuccessful. He tried a different tactic, trying to force his will to tell the mirror that he wanted to use the stone to right an injustice, as he presumed that was the sort of rubbish that Dumbledore would approve of.

Nothing happened, except the Mirror Harry wagged its finger condescendingly at him. How long he stood there, trying to persuade the mirror to give up its prize he didn't know, however he was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice.

"So I see the lure of Wealth and Immortality have attracted you as well Potter?" Harry turned slowly, behind him stood Quirrell, however, he wasn't trembling now. He stood calm and confident, Wand held loosely at his side.

"Good Evening professor" Harry greeted politely, drawing his wand from its holster.

"Have you had any luck with the mirror yet?" the professor asked, walking down the steps towards Harry.

"Not Yet I'm afraid. May I offer you the chance however?" Quirrell nodded his head and stepped up beside Harry, he looked deep into the mirror and frowned.

"I see myself with the stone. I see myself…." He trailed off, looking at Harry suspiciously.

"Will you help me with the mirror Harry?" he asked politely, "I am given to understand you are a prodigy at Runes and Arithmancy, both skills will be needed here!" Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"It's a tempting offer Professor, One I would have agreed to before Halloween." Quirrells face frowned, "It was your troll professor, wasn't it?" he asked

"It was." Harry nodded,

"Normally that wouldn't bother me. However it attacked my friend, hospitalised her for a week. And now, out of some sympathetic notion of pride and vengeance, I cannot help you." Quirrell sighed,

"That is a pity, I assume you know the other option?" Harry chuckled darkly.

"I presume we duel to the death, and the winner continues to try and take the stone?" Harry asked chuckling,

"Indeed, although it seems a great waste. You have a great deal of talent Mr Potter." Harry nodded his head at the compliment,

"And your acting skills were sublime professor, I especially enjoyed the feint at the feast, very moving." His lips twitched in a smirk, and the Professor flushed.

"Reducto!" Quirrell said lazily, Harry blocked it with a shield.

"Aguamenti!" Harry returned, overpowering the spell so a great surge of water flooded out of his wand. It struck the Professor in the chest and he lost his balance, Harry tried to follow it up with a cutting curse, but the professor recovered quicker than he thought possible.

"Avada Kedavra!" cried the professor, Harry dived to one side as the bright green curse sailed past.

_Vermillious Tria! _Harry silently sent at the professor, but Quirrell blocked the electrocuting curse easily. He returned fire with a bombardment hex. Harry managed to deflect it into the wall.

_Stupefy, Reducto, Rictumsempra, Tarrantelaegra, Hastis Glacis! _Harry sent the spell chain at the professor in an unbroken stream. Quirrell's shield held, but he was forced to stop casting.

"Well Potter, I am impressed, you have surpassed my expectations!"

"Thank you Professor." Harry didn't stop to think that maybe he should cut out the honorifics seeing as how the man had tried to kill him.

"Professor Quirrell? Potter?" Came a voice, the two combatants stopped the spells they were casting and looked around. Longbottom stood at the top of the steps, looking Horrified at what he was seeing.

"L-l-l-longbottom, h-h-help, P-potter is trying to st-steal the stone!" Harry rolled his eyes at Quirrells ridiculous attempts. Unfortunately, Longbottom was both stupid and gullible enough to believe him.

"Don't worry Professor! REDUCTO!" he bellowed, Harry sent a stunner at Neville and dodged Quirrells disembowelling curse.

"Ulcus!" he snapped out at Quirrell, the blood boiling curse deflected off Quirrells shield curse and to the horror of all three combatants, struck the mirror. There was an almighty crash and the plate glass exploded into a hundred pieces, Glass shot like shrapnel around the room. A piece struck Harry on the side of the head and he gasped in pain, Quirrell still had his shield up, and survived unscathed.

Harry and Quirrell looked horrified, however, at the same time they both saw the glint of Ruby in the shattered glass on the floor. Quirrell was closer and picked it up.

"I can't believe that worked!" Harry muttered darkly, he had wasted 20 minutes in front of that mirror.

"I have it master, I have the stone!" cried Quirrell, seeing no master for Quirrell to be speaking to, Harry prepared to continue the duel, blood from his head wound trickling down his face.

"Well done Professor!" called Neville, patting the Defence Professor on the back. To Harry and Neville's surprise, Quirrell began to smoke out of his mouth. When Neville saw his teachers pain, he grabbed both his shoulders to attempt to see what the matter was.

As Quirrell slowly turned to Ash before their eyes, Neville turned to Harry in anger.

"What did you do you slimy snake?" He cried. Raising his wand wrathfully

_Stupefy._ Harry shot silently, the spell struck Neville in the chest and he collapsed.

Harry walked over to the pile of ashes that had once been professor Quirrell, and looked down for the stone. To his horror, a spirit rose from the pile and shot straight through Harry and out of the wall. Harry blinked.

_So… that just happened_ he thought, this night was turning out to be plain wrong.

He picked the stone out of the pile of ashes and grinned, holding it up to the light. The ruby red stone radiated power and felt warm to the touch, just holding it was intoxicating. _It's beautiful_ he thought, reflecting the light from the torches a thousand times on each facet of its face.

"Minnie!" he called, and with a crack, Miranda's elf appeared before him, he handed the small elf the stone. "Discover any tracking spells on this stone and disable them, then hide it in the most secret place you can think of. Tell no one where it is except myself. Do I make myself clear?" The elf nodded. "No one, bar you and I, may know I have this!" The elf nodded, ears trembling, and vanished with a crack.

Harry grinned, he could still salvage this. He turned to Neville. And pointed his wand at the boy. "Obliviate!" he cried, and willed the spell to remove any trace of the stone appearing from the mirror, but other than that all the events remained the same.

Satisfied that his work was complete, Harry collapsed onto a stone step, exhausted. He lay his head in his hands and tried to work on strengthening his Occlumency. Not twenty minutes after Obliviating Neville, A frantic looking Dumbledore hurried into the room.

Everything moved very fast after that, and Harry was exhausted. He was led up to the Hospital Wing by Dumbledore, who was also carrying the unconscious Neville behind him. Madam Pomphrey had appeared wearing a frilly yellow nightgown and horrified at the thought of injured students so late at night, after reviving Neville, and healing Harry's gash so he simply had a small scar over his left eye, Pomphrey released them and Dumbledore took them up to his office.

Harry was surprised to find Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger waiting for them in the headmaster's office, they both looked tired and bruised, but were looking at Neville with concern.

"It is a very situation we have here tonight" began Dumbledore, looking at the four students over steepled fingers with grave eyes. "Neville, Ron, Hermione, tell me exactly what happened."

Neville looked at the others, and together they launched into a tale encompassing the whole year, how they had discovered fluffy, to Hagrid informing them about Nicholas Flamel, their growing suspicion that Snape was going to steal the stone to all their events surrounding that night.

Harry listened intently to Neville as he described the events in the mirror chamber. "I saw Potter and Quirrell duelling, Quirrell asked for help, so I sent a few curses at Potter, in all the confusion, one of Potters spells bounced off Quirrells shields and hit the Mirror, it smashed headmaster. I'm sorry!" Dumbledore nodded and gave him a benevolent smile, gesturing for him to continue,

"Well, Potter and Quirrell both were distracted by the breaking mirror, and I went to check on Quirrell, I put my hand on his back, and he just… well um…. Disintegrated Headmaster. Into nothing but ashes, whatever it was that happened exhausted me because I passed out not too long afterwards. "Harry nodded in satisfaction, the memory he had given Neville was clearly passably realistic.

"Thank you Neville, you and your friends were all incredibly brave." The Gryffindor trio blushed, and Dumbledore turned his gaze to Harry, who raised his chin.

"Harry, none of this explains how you came to be in the chamber in the first place." The old man's eye began to twinkle madly.

"No Professor" Harry replied, "Was there a question in that statement?" Hermione gasped at the thought of someone giving the headmaster cheek.

"Well my boy, would you care to tell me how you came to be in the forbidden corridor?" Dumbledore asked with a small curl of his lips.

"Of course. I suppose it all starts with that troll. I told you I had my suspicions about Quirrell at the time, and after the staff took _No Action_ for the rest of the year, I resolved to deal with the situation myself. I put a small detection ward on Quirrells door, and when he triggered it tonight, I moved to confront him." Dumbledore looked concerned by Harry's story but gestured for him to go on.

"I was about 10 minutes behind Quirrell, The dog was still asleep, Devil's snare is hardly an obstacle, I burnt the wings off the keys, beat the chess board, killed the troll and Snapes riddle. I met Quirrell in the mirror room, I asked him about the troll and he confessed to being the one to release to help him get to the stone."

"Quirrell wanted the stone?" Neville asked in horror, looking at Dumbledore askance.

"Yes Neville. Quirrell, like so many others was eager for the power and wealth of such a device. Now do go on Harry."

"Well, Quirrell confessed, but he asked me to look in the mirror, I did so, the image in it was the same as before, and when I told Quirrell this he got angry. We duelled, and about five minutes in, Captain Gullible arrived." Dumbledore tried to suppress a smirk and Neville flushed crimson. "He fell for Quirrells attempt to trick him and got involved in the duel, Neville told you what happened next." Dumbledore looked at the two of them carefully.

Harry met his gaze head on, reinforcing his Occlumency shields to their maximum. Neville looked down at his feet in apparent shame.

"All four of you have broken so many rules that I don't know where to start." The Gryffindor trio looked miserable,

"Forgive me Professor Dumbledore, but by my reckoning, I only broke two rules tonight…" Dumbledore looked at him in puzzled amusement,

"And how do you reach that conclusion Harry?" he asked

"Well, aside from being out after curfew and Magic in the corridors, I truly believe that I didn't break rules." Dumbledore chuckled,

"The forbidden corridor?" he asked,

"Never forbidden, I had a death wish, and you said only those who wished to remain alive should stay out of it." Dumbledore looked deep in thought, before a small smile graced his lips,

"Attacking Professor Quirrell?"

"Self-defence, he cast the first spell." Dumbledore nodded,

"Well Harry, evidently we could go through this all day." Harry just shrugged "However, let me instead cut to the end." The Gryffindor trio looked nervously at one another.

"All four of you shall receive 50 points to your respective… Yes Harry?" Dumbledore paused as Harry cleared his throat loudly,

"Well Headmaster. I hardly think points are the correct way of dealing with this situation!" Harry took a breath "We broke rules, acted in violation of your advice and far exceeded our mandate as Hogwarts students."

"That is true my boy, but you also prevented a dark wizard from gaining one of the most powerful objects in History!" Harry shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nevertheless, points would be a terrible reward. It would suggest to other students that rule breaking in certain situation is okay. Neville killed a teacher, and you want to reward Gryffindor in response." Neville flushed and Dumbledore looked down his crooked nose at Harry.

"Well then Harry, what would you do?" asked the Headmaster

"Well, for those three, they were brave certainly, but ultimately useless. Longbottom merely made a nuisance of himself in the chamber." Neville looked at him angrily, "So perhaps points would be in order." Dumbledore nodded.

"And what of yourself Harry?" he asked, eyes back to twinkling in full force.

"Well, I defended the school from someone who would harm it, protected Neville from Quirrells wrath, unmasked the man who released the troll and generally saved the day."

"You did indeed." Replied the Headmaster,

"I want a slightly more permanent reward, that could regain my name some of its honour." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he seemingly remembered what Harry's father had done.

"The _services_ I did to the school have been rather _special_ headmaster, so I would like to be _awarded_ for that." Dumbledore's mouth thinned, and he appeared deep in thought. He once again steepled his fingers and looked at the four students for a long time.

"Very well, Neville, for your bravery, I award you fifty points, Hermione, for your wisdom in the face of Adversity, I award you fifty points also. Ronald, you, well, for following your friends, and… playing an excellent game of chess, I award you 50 points." Harry tried to hide a laugh behind a cough, the redhead's ears had turned bright pink, and he looked understandably humiliated.

"Mr Potter, for courage, heroism and defending the school from a terrible man, I am going to give you a special award for services to the school, and 50 points to Slytherin." Harry nodded his head graciously.

"So the stone is lost forever then?" Neville asked looking at the headmaster.

"It would appear so, perhaps that is for the best. It is too powerful an object to simply have lying around."

"But your friend, Nicholas Flamel, he will die without it!" Dumbledore chuckled,

"He will die, but Neville, when you live for as long as they have, death is simply like going to bed after a very, very long day." Dumbledore said with a twinkle of his eye.

"Now, you four go to bed, it is very late, well it's very early, and you need some sleep." With that dismissal, Harry stood and quickly returned to his dormitory. As he lay back on his bed, he allowed a wide grin to spread across his face, tonight had been a quite marvellous success.

The next two days passed quickly, Miranda had been curious, but after a Harry had indicated that he was probably being watched she had shut up about the whole situation.

Three days after the events surrounding the stone, was the Quidditch final, Slytherin vs Ravenclaw. The match was not exciting by any stretch, Ravenclaw played well, but the Slytherins played with a fervour that could only occur when the possibility of retaining the cup for a sixth consecutive year was on the cards. The final score had Slytherin winning by 190 points after just 25 minutes of play.

After that, time raced forward and too soon, Harry was at the leaving feast, having just gorged himself on an enormous meal, when Dumbledore stood up and motioned for silence.

"Another year has passed, and once again we find ourselves looking towards leaving Hogwarts. To all students who will be back next year, work hard and I look forward to seeing you next year, to our Seventh years, it has been a privilege and a pleasure to watch you grow and develop, and I wish you the very best in your future endeavours." There was a round of applause.

"Now, onto certain matters, as some of you are aware, there was some drama surrounding professor Quirrells departure from Hogwarts, what you don't know is that Quirrell in fact tried to do great harm to the school, and it was in no small part due to some students that he was stopped, therefore I have decided to give A Special Awards for Services to the School to Harry Potter. Which will remain in the trophy room, from this day forward." Most of the school clapped politely, and Harry ducked his head in a show of humility.

"Onto the exciting matter of the house cup. In last place, with 206 points, are Gryffindor, in third place, with 358 points, Hufflepuff. Second, with 415 points is Ravenclaw. Therefore our winners with 427 points are Slytherin!" The house of green and silver cheered, as the drapes from the ceiling changed to Green and Silver, Harry grinned. It had ended well this year. It had ended very well.

That night, Harry finished packing up his trunk, and sat down in the Common Room. "What are you planning for the Summer Potter?" asked his best friend from next to him on the sofa "Still not welcome with the Muggles?"

Harry shook his head and Miranda sighed,

"Well lucky for you, I rather enjoyed having a housemate, I suppose you can stay with me again if you like." Harry smirked at her,

"You are too kind to sacrifice so much for me" Harry said dramatically, the blonde laughed and swatted his arm.

"What can I say?" Miranda said with a smile "I'm just excited to see whatever it is that you've recently acquired."

Harry smiled. "It's worth it. This is game changing Miranda, We will want for nothing!" The blonde only grinned and leant against his side. It would certainly be an interesting summer.


	8. Chapter 7

Dear All,

Welcome to the latest instalment, I will again give a great big thank you to my long suffering Beta, the incredible John Foxton (check him out!)

anyway, on with chapter 7...

* * *

Chapter 7

Harry and Miranda arrived back at her flat in the early evening on June the 27th. It was a warm evening and the two of them decided to go out to get some Supper. They went to a small café they had found the year before, and enjoyed a simple, though delicious meal.

"Well Harry, I've waited long enough! What is this thing that you've managed to get?" Miranda asked, and impatient edge to her voice, Harry grinned at her,

"When we get back to the House. Trust me, it's worth the wait!" She grumbled good naturedly, and they continued their meal. When they were finished Miranda paid their bill, _this would soon be the last time he was dependent on anyone! _He thought to himself, before they stood up and arm in arm returned to the flat.

Once inside, Harry shrugged off his light summer jacket and hung it up on the hook. He walked into the Living Room and sat down on the sofa, looking at his friend with a smirk playing on her lips. The girl frowned, hands on her hips, just daring him to try and postpone this any further.

"Minnie" Harry called, not taking his eyes of the girl. The elf popped into existence and gave a short courtesy.

"Mistress' Master called?" she asked,

"Minnie, the object I gave you to hide, I would like it please." The elf bowed low and vanished. The silence was absolute, Harry hardly dared to breathe as he considered what he was about to get his hands on. Wealth, immortality. Power.

20 Seconds later, the elf popped back into the room, a package wrapped in a brown hessian sheet, the elf passed it to him with another curtsey and Harry held it up to Miranda.

She took the package slowly, before slowly unwrapping it. As the stone became revealed she gasped. And held it up to the light. The light shone through the brilliant rock, and shone upon her face.

"It's beautiful!" she whispered, entranced by the power radiating from the stone.

"It's more than beautiful Rookwood. It contains such power!" Harry replied quietly. She looked at him confused.

"What is it?" Harry grinned broadly at her

"What do you know of Alchemy?" he asked her,

"It's the process of turning any metal to gold, but it's supposed to take years of study to be able to do anything with it unless you have…" she gasped and looked at the stone again

"Unless you have a Philosophers stone." Harry finished for her. The girl blinked and laughed, she threw her head back and laughed. Harry grinned at her. It took her a few moments to recover.

"You stole the most powerful object in the Wizarding world from under Dumbledore's nose?!" she asked, Harry grinned and nodded.

"Do you know how to use it?" she asked pensively, Harry shook his head.

"We will figure it out, don't you worry!"

However, despite Harry's optimism, the process of figuring out the secrets of the stone was far harder than he had hoped. The days turned into weeks, and there was still no success. No Gold had yet been created, and they were both getting pretty frustrated.

Then, in the first week of July, Harry had a breakthrough. He had placed the Lead ingot they were practicing with into the fire on the stone, in the hope that the heat would facilitate the change. To his disappointment However, the Lead retained its dull grey colour. Frustrated, Harry took the stone out of the embers and placed it in a glass of water he had next to him to cool off so he could try a new experiment.

He opened his journal to write in his latest failure. _Experiment 198, Medium Heat & lead. Failure. No discernable change._

He turned back to the glass to fish out the stone, when he stopped. The water the stone was in had turned a rich golden colour. He could just make out the stone at the bottom, and took it out with the fire tongs, unwilling to touch this strange new concoction.

"_Miranda" _he shouted,

"Success?" came an answering shout from the other room.

"Not exactly, but you may want to come check this out…" The blonde walked into the room, she was barefoot, wearing a small t shirt and tight fitting black jeans. Harry couldn't help but admire the view as she walked over.

"What is it?" she asked, Harry gestured to the cup. She picked it up and examined it under the light.

"How did you make this?" she asked, her ice blue eyes bright with excitement. Harry explained and she grinned at him, "I presume you're thinking the same thing as me?" she asked,

"Elixir of Life was my thought" Harry said nonchalantly, Miranda grinned at him,

"We need to test it on something." She declared "Minnie!" the elf appeared and bowed low.

"How can Minnie serve Mistress?"

"I need an animal, a small one, preferably a rat or rabbit." The elf bowed low, and a second later popped back in with a small grey rabbit. Harry took the rabbit from the elf and held it before the girl, who had drawn her wand.

"Diffindo." Miranda said, her wand slashing down. With a spray of blood, a long gash appeared on the creatures back. Harry took the goblet of the Mysterious golden liquid and poured it into the creature's mouth and along its wound.

They watched intently.

At first, nothing happened, but suddenly, the long gash that had been oozing blood began to heal before their eyes. Skin knitted together, and in less than three seconds, the deep cut had healed without even a scar.

The two best friends looked at each other, slowly, identical broad grins appeared on their faces.

"So… we can live forever." Harry said, his smile broad.

"Forever." Echoed the blonde. "Together." Harry smiled widely, suddenly he laughed, and she mirrored him, he pulled her tight for a hug.

"Want to take some elixir?" he asked, he felt her nod against his chest, and Harry passed her the Goblet and she took a long sip, before passing it to him.

It felt… Wonderful, every ache, every pain and every single flaw he felt and didn't feel suddenly vanished, he felt the old scars he had on his body slowly vanish. He opened his eyes. The world was so crisp, everything was so in focus. Harry had never had trouble with his eyes, but now, now it was like a veil had been removed from his eyes.

He glanced at Miranda, she had her head thrown back, and her eyes closed. She looked down at him suddenly, eyes snapping open. _Had her eyes always been such a bright blue?_ He thought to himself. The two looked at each other, before, at practically the same time they rushed each other.

Her lips met his in a wonderful chorus. Caught up as they were was in the rush of feeling the elixir had given him, Harry felt all his doubts concerning the stunning girl within his arms wash away. He kissed her with everything he had and she returned the gesture.

After what felt like an eternity they pulled apart, looking deep into each other's lowered his head once more, and slowly placed his lips upon hers again, this time it was different, slower and more sensual.

Long into the night they stayed up together, caught up in the wonderful feelings of the elixir and the feel of the others body.

The next morning, Harry woke up feeling exhausted. He opened his eyes, he was in Miranda's enormous bed, with the girl in question cuddled up to his side. He took a brief look under the covers, and blinked.

They were both naked.

Now Harry was by no means innocent in the ways of the world, but at that moment, 10,000 thoughts rushed through his head at a speed that made him dizzy, He closed his eyes and sank his head back onto the pillow.

For a man who always tries to think through every situation, Harry thought, you've been doing a lot of reckless acts lately. He quickly tried to clear his mind and run through every situation.

Option 1, try to act like this never happened and pray to God and Merlin that he salvaged his friendship after this.  
Option 2, make sure that Miranda knew he had a good time, but try to tell her it was a onetime thing.  
Option 3, Try to have a relationship with Miranda.  
Option 4, react to how Miranda acted and play it by ear.

Harry sighed, much as he wanted to take the third option, Miranda was three years older than him and had left Hogwarts. He didn't know what would happen when she got a job and he was left at Hogwarts. That left the only option left to be option 4.

_You Coward! _He thought to himself. He was shaken from his musings when he felt the girl at his side stretch against him, he opened his eyes to see her smiling serenely at him, he gave her a small smile, and returned the kiss she gave him.

"This was unexpected" she said in a deadpan voice.

"That would be one way of putting it." Harry replied with a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"That Elixir is powerful stuff!" Harry tried to joke, but was cut off

"Don't!" she cried, eyes wide and looking at him "Do not try to blame this on the Elixir, You knew what you were doing when we did this."

"Miranda" Harry started, his usually stoic friend for the first time that Harry had seen looked totally open, all the layers of her incredibly complex personality stripped away like so much wrapping. Her Ice blue eyes had lost the cold and dark look, replaced with a look of pain and loneliness, Harry thought he could see the innocent girl who had once walked into Hogwarts, nervous and excited as everyone else. The girl she could have been, before her father's name got in the way, and stamped those hopes, those childish dreams into dust.

"I Love you Miranda." He said simply.

It was much later when they eventually left the bedroom.

They finally cracked how to create gold three days later. It was a simple Idea that Harry had had, but it was anything but in practice.

Harry used the stone like a wand, forcing his magic into it, and allowing the stone to focus the power, before pressing it down onto the Lead. The stone glowed bright, a fire from within illuminating Harry's hand and throwing red light onto the walls, When the stone touched the lead, there was a bright red flash, and then, where once plain grey lead had rested, was now a solid lump of bright gold.

Harry had laughed loudly, his smile threatening to tear his face in half. He and Miranda spent the rest of the morning transforming the numerous metal ingots they had purchased to practice on into solid gold. After that they had placed it all into a weightless sack they hurried to Gringotts.

"How may I help you?" sneered a goblin down at them,

"We have gold Goblin, we would have it converted to currency." Harry had said disdainfully.

"Ripblade!" the teller called and a short, old looking Goblin hurried forward. The teller whispered in his ear, and the elderly goblin led them towards a small desk in one corner, where a solitary Goblin sat, looking bored.

"How can I help you?" the bored looking Goblin asked,

"We have Gold, we would have Galleons." Miranda replied, voice hard.

"How much Gold?" the Goblin asked suspiciously, Miranda nodded at him, and Harry upended the sack onto the desk.

There was a loud crash, as the 18 Gold Bars, each one weighing 1 kilograms fell onto the desk. The Goblin blinked. His eyes widened and he carefully picked up one of the bars. He turned it over in his hand.

"Call Bangak." He snapped at the Goblin who had escorted them over. They waited a few moments before an ancient looking Goblin slowly walked over. His hair was long and white, and his face so wrinkled it was hard to see his features at all.

"My Lord Bangak. These Humans have brought Gold. I need to know its purity and value." The ancient goblin, hobbled over and picked up one of the bars. He viewed it practiced skill, peering down a long nose.

"It's definitely gold, pure too." He announced after a moment, he then withdrew a small hammer, a file and several vials of Potion. After tinkering with the bar he looked shocked.

"This is pure. At least 99.95%. Very rare and very expensive. How much do they have?" he asked the teller

"18 kilograms." The goblin replied.

"Well, it's worth a lot of Galleons, let me see, A typical Gringotts Bullion bar is 12.5 kilograms, and we sell those for 22,000 Galleons each, so 18 kilograms is… let me see, around 31 and a half thousand." Miranda gripped Harry's hand tightly in shock, it wasn't a fortune, but it was far more than she had in her vault at that time.

"Gringotts would be prepared to buy your gold, for 27,000 Galleons." The Goblin said with a wicked grin at them. Harry smiled calmly back,

"I think 30,000 would be more reasonable. That is not all we have, if you want continued business, It would be in your best interest to give us a good price." The Goblin scowled.

"The Gold is worth 31500 Galleons, but the cost of converting it to Galleons reduces that. 29000?"

"Done." Harry and the Goblin grinned.

"And we would like a new vault to be opened for these new funds." The Goblin nodded,

"Of course although…"

"Let me guess, there is a cost involved in doing so?" The Goblin grinned wickedly, showing sharp teeth.

"Indeed."

The two of them spent much of the day in the bank, hammering out the details of a final price, a Vault opened in both their names, as well as key's. It was a long process, but when Harry was taken down to his new vault, He was mollified by the large pile of coins that greeted him upon entrance. Miranda grinned at him, and he picked her up and span around, laughing all the time.

"Well Potter, It's about time you finally learnt proper shopping!"

The rest of that day was one of the best of Harry's life, He finally could go wherever he wanted, and buy whatever he fancied, he bought Miranda Jewellery and himself a whole new wardrobe, each outfit carefully selected by the blonde.

That evening, Miranda apparated the two of them up to a small Wizarding restaurant in Aldeburgh, It was lovely, the warm summer air permeated the buildings, whilst a cooling Sea Breeze kept the temperature comfortable. The restaurant specialised in sea food, and they both ordered happily.

"So" Harry began, taking Miranda's hand across the table, "I suppose I will address what we've both ignored so far…" He looked down at the table,

"What happens to us?" she finished for him. He sighed,

"We can do this, can't we?" He asked, tentatively looking her in the eye, she smiled.

"I don't know Harry, I never took Divination. But we can try can't we?" Harry nodded, and she continued "We've been friends for years, you don't have any dirty secrets left from me most likely." Harry chuckled, "I don't know if we have a future Harry, but I think I love you."

"I have never had to do this stuff before," Harry began, his voice cautious. "But I promise you, if there is any small chance of us staying together, I swear to you, I promise you, I will take it, and I will fight for this."

"Potter, you're so corny it makes me ill."

"Thank you Rookwood." The two of them smiled. This would be interesting.

The summer passed quickly, they had decided against creating tonnes of gold, else they come under suspicion from either the Goblins or the Ministry, however, they kept their account around a very respectable 100,000 galleons, more than enough for the two of them to live comfortably.

With regards to their new relationship, Harry reflected that very little had changed in his life. Certainly, the sex was a new element, and the random acts of affection that they littered on each other were a rarer event, but really, the honesty, the jokes and the affection had always been there.

As July turned to August, their Hogwarts letters arrived, Harry was surprised to discover in his two surprises. He had been made a prefect and Quidditch Captain. He had shown it to Miranda and expressed his surprise. She had laughed,

"Harry, you've been practically running the team since second year. This should _not _be a surprise, I know for a fact that Bonnie suggested you to Snape."

Miranda had received her NEWT results, three O's and an E, and she now had to consider employment. Harry was preparing for a new year of Lessons, and both of them were feeling the strain of potential separation.

"I can see you at Hogsmeade weekends,"

"And I will write all the time."

"Besides it's for the best; you'll be too busy settling into your new job to bother with me!" Miranda laughed, and kissed him,

"We'll be fine. We just keep talking to each other." Harry added,

"And we can go away for Christmas, somewhere Hot, somewhere exotic!" Miranda suggested, Harry just grinned.

"We'll be fine."

However, despite their assurances, it was a very melancholy Harry that kissed his girlfriend goodbye on the platform and stepped onto the train. He found his friends on one of the back carriages and settled down with a sigh.

"Potter, could you settle an argument for me?" asked Terrence, His lips quirked, "Marcus here doesn't believe that you were just kissing a certain Slytherins ex-resident bitch." Harry looked at Higgs with a bemused expression

"And if I did?" he asked, Marcus laughed, "But what's it like… does her breath freeze your soul when you kiss her?"

"Whose Harry kissing?" asked Clara walking through the compartment door, Graham just behind her.

"Hello Clara, good summer?" asked Marcus brightly,

"Good, yes, very nice. Now Potter, spill." Harry blushed

"He's kissing Rookwood?" Clara looked surprised, "Does that mean you warmed her frozen heart? How Romantic!" Harry threw a cushion at the Girl who dodged it.

"Potter's finally learned how to read signals from a girl?" Olivia asked, walking through the door, "Took his sweet time!" Everyone in the compartment bar Harry roared with Laughter.

"Can we change topics?" Harry asked, a disgruntled expression on his face. He looked around, and spotted a Prefects badge on Olivia's robes, his attempts were less than subtle, but everyone laughed and accepted the change in conversation.

"I can't believe Snape made Potter a Prefect!" Charles said with a laugh, "I mean, it won't look good to the other houses, the son of the second most infamous man in the last decade, and Slytherin makes him a prefect!" Harry chuckled, the boy did have a point.

"Give Snape a break, he didn't really have much of a choice, Harry is the best candidate by a long way. He's known throughout the house thanks to Quidditch, he's top of our year academically, and now he's got a special award for services to the school, what have you got Warrington?" challenged Olivia, throwing Harry a wink, he grinned back.

"Hey, I'm not complaining!" Charles argued, throwing his hands up in mock surrender, "Simply looking forward to the fireworks!" Graham and Marcus laughed,

"Talking of Fireworks, did any of you see Longbottom and Lockhart in Flourish and Blotts?" asked Clara, looking at them with a grin, "Longbottom looked like he would start crying, whilst Lockhart practically raped him onstage"

Clara gave a very disturbing re-enactment of her description which had the whole compartment howling with laughter, it took a few minutes, but eventually Harry was able to calm down, he wiped the tears from his eyes, and clutched the stitch in his chest.

"Why have we been assigned so many Lockhart books?" asked Marcus, who appeared to have contracted the Hiccups.

"Are you serious?" asked Olivia, looking at him with a confused look,

"What?" the large boy asked, looking around the compartment to see all the disbelieving looks,

"Marcus, have you ever read a newspaper in like… the last three weeks?" Harry asked conversationally, the Quidditch chaser flushed. He didn't need to answer.

"We have been assigned Lockhart's books, because Lockhart is our teacher." Clara explained exasperatedly

"Our teacher made us fork out a shedload of Galleons on his own books? Is this some sort of sick way of boosting sales or something?" Marcus asked incredulously.

"Did you manage to get all your books Harry?" Clara asked, her voice filled with concern, not ridicule, all his friends were aware of Harry's financial state, and had often stepped in in the past to help him out when absolutely necessary.

"No problems Clara, thank you." The half-Spanish girl nodded kindly.

The rest of the train ride passed quickly, it was a time filled with joking and conversation, towards the end of the journey, when the sun was setting behind the mountains, Harry pulled out his wizards chess set and everybody rolled their eyes, eventually Harry was forced to watch and not play, but he enjoyed giving both sides hints.

Stepping into the great hall that night, Harry was pleased to be back at the first place he viewed as Home. The six Slytherin fifth years walked over to their table, sidestepping an anxious looking Granger and sat down.

Eventually, after five minutes or so, the doors burst open, and Professor McGonagall led in the first years,

"Fuckers get smaller every year." Harry whispered to Marcus, the older boy nodded sagely, before returning his gaze to the line of awed looking eleven year olds.

The Sorting hat began to sing, and Harry and Marcus spent the time waiting discussing the upcoming Quidditch trials. Their attention was returned to the front when they heard the sorting proper begin.

Around three quarters of the way through the waiting students, the whole halls attention was suddenly diverted to the doors into the great hall.

Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasely had just thrown them open, and were walking to the Gryffindor table, they looked completely relaxed and slid into the empty seats at the Gryffindor table.

Their relaxed expressions were suddenly replaced by those of fear, when Professor Snape came up behind them and took them by a shoulder. The three left the Great Hall, and the sorting slowly resumed, though now punctuated by whispers as rumours of what the two had done flew around the room.

The sorting finished, and this was followed by the Feast. As the final plates of food, Harry stood up, and together with Olivia began to herd the first years in the direction of the Common Rooms. The New students seemed like a nice enough bunch, they chatted quietly amongst themselves, and there were no unpleasant words or tones to be heard.

Reaching the door to the common room, Harry stopped the group and raised an eyebrow at Olivia, she winked and began to speak,

"Welcome to Slytherin First Years, My name is Olivia Moran, and this is Harry Potter" this got a few murmurs "and we are your fifth year prefects. This is the entrance to the Slytherin Common rooms, if you look in the top corner, you will see the Slytherin crest, that is how you can identify which bit of wall." Olivia looked at Harry, and took over

"The password at the moment is Ambition, and it will change every two weeks approximately. When we get inside, Professor Snape will give a short speech and explain the house rules, Professor Snape is very strict, but fair, so make sure to work hard in Potions and not to get into trouble, and you will stay on his good side. As fifth year Prefects, it is our job to ensure that you fit in, and we will help get you accustomed to the house and school, however we are not your babysitters, Slytherin values ambition, and so we will not hold your hand."

He opened the common room door and led the first years inside, enjoying the expressions of awe and wonder they had when they looked around the comfortable room.

"First year dorms are on the first floor, Boys on the left and girls on the right." He noticed Professor Snape enter behind them, and nodded respectfully to the man.

"Thank you Mr Potter, Miss Moran, I can take it from here." The bat like professor said, and the group looked at him.

Snape gave his usual introduction and explained the House rules, once he finished, he dismissed the group and called Harry over,

"Mr Potter, I trust you know your duties as Quidditch captain?" he asked, Harry nodded,

"I know, I will make sure to look after the team sir," the man nodded,

"I will leave you to it then Potter, I rather like Slytherins current collection of Silverware, please make sure we don't lose any of it." Harry smiled and nodded, and the professor left.

The week got underway quickly, Harry got used to the routine fairly quickly, the time that in previous years he had spent with Miranda he now spent on his own learning magic, although he doubted the magic he was teaching himself was on the approved syllabus of any magical school, even Durmstrang.

One thing that Harry could never have been prepared for was the… unique style with which Gilderoy Lockhart taught defence against the dark arts.

They fifth year Slytherins and Ravenclaws were walking up from breakfast to the defence classroom laughing at the fate of Ron Weasely, who had received a howler from his mother over stealing a flying car to take to Hogwarts. To add to the problem, Gryffindor had had one hundred points removed, meaning it would be very difficult for them to catch up with the other houses.

The inside of Lockhart's classroom was bizarre Harry had decided, the walls were decorated in lilac and turquoise, whilst the portraits on the walls all depicted the same man, Gilderoy Lockhart. The pictures were all winking and grinning roguishly at the camera, and at the front of the room stood the man himself.

Lockhart was beaming down at his class, revealing every one of his perfectly white teeth.

"Settle down, settle down!" he called jovially, "I thought we would start this year with a little quiz, just a way for me to understand how well you learned my books over the summer." Harry sighed, he had had the painstaking task of reading each of Lockhart's books. Whilst the methods and spells he had used to take down each opponent were correct, the flamboyant writing style made it painful reading.

"You have one hour. Begin." Harry sighed and looked down at his paper. It was worse than he had thought. 1) What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite colour?

With a sad sigh, Harry used his Occlumency to drag up the correct memory from his mind and began the quiz. 1) Lilac. 2) Honorary member of the dark force defence league 3) Ogdens best firewhiskey, 4) World peace 5) Hair care 6) going out in public with Hair curlers.

The list went on and on, each question getting worse and worse. Finally, Harry wrote the last answer, 49) peace between all magical and non-magical races and lay down his quill. Lockhart was still at the front of the room, smiling broadly down at them all. The class however was doing less well.

Marcus appeared to have gone into shock, looking at the page with a look of horrified disbelief, Terrence was writing what appeared to be _you're an idiot _as an answer to every question, whilst Olivia, who had been the most excited to have Lockhart as a teacher was drawing pictures of rabbits on her quiz, looking thoroughly bored. Finally, Lockhart took in the question papers,

"Let me see, let me see!" he called roguishly "Well, I'm afraid to say the class average isn't looking too good. However, Mr Potter? Well done, full marks." Harry felt like he wanted to melt into the floor, the whole class looked at him with horrified expressions.

"Potter? Potter? Where have I heard that name before?" Lockhart asked, looking deeply down at the paper,

"Mr Potter?" he asked, looking around, Harry raised his eyebrow, and the teacher zeroed in on him.

"Mr Potter, have you done anything to get in the news?" Harry shook his head "Well, did you appear at one of my book signings?" he asked with a perplexed expression, Harry was amazed,

"No Professor, although you probably have heard of my father in your line of work." The Slytherins and Ravenclaws laughed,

"Ah, I see, so your father is involved in the fight against dark magic?" Harry smirked,

"Not exactly." Lockhart looked at Harry intently, but then appeared to give up,

"Well It doesn't matter, on with the class." He produced _Travels with trolls_ from his desk and held it up, "Please turn to page 6, today we shall learn about me."

The lesson passed slowly, and Harry wanted to cry. So far, all Harry had learned in terms of defence, was that Gilderoy Lockhart's own brand of hair spray, _Gilderoy's Lockhair_ was available for only 3 sickles from most stores. Harry scratched his previous thought, so far for defence he had learnt nothing.

The next month, Harry learnt that whilst most teachers seemed to be increasing the work load for the OWL students, Lockhart didn't seem to have been told about there being an exam at all. Going on and on about himself each lesson, often leaving his exploits behind and instead describing in pain staking detail his distressingly complex hair and teeth routine each morning.

The most exciting event of the first couple of months was the Quidditch try outs.

30 students turned up to compete, Marcus, Adrien Bole, Derrick and Terrence were all there to defend their Positions, leaving Harry especially eager to find a new Keeper and chaser.

"Good Morning hopefuls, we are especially looking for a chaser and Keeper this afternoon, so if you play those two positions, then please stand on the left."

Around 20 of the students made their way to where Harry had indicated, "Excellent, we will do Chasers first, then Keepers, followed by beaters and finally a seeker." The chasers audition went perfectly smoothly and they quickly gained their new chaser, a third year named Amelia Milliken, and a reserve from sixth year, Dominic Kahn.

The keepers were very quick also. Harry had each keeper block twenty shots, those who were consistently good or those who clearly had potential were kept, three remained, and Harry had a shoot out to decide, To Harry's delight, it was Graham Montague who won, and thus Slytherin had its new keeper.

The remaining students all attempted to steal either the seeker position or that of beater. Harry gave them a fair trial, but it quickly became apparent that those currently on the team were the better players.

Harry looked over his new team, six boys and one girl and gave them a smile, they smiled back, pleased with their success, although the smile quickly diminished when they saw Harry's training schedule. Three times a week, with that being increased to five the week before a match. Together, the new team made their way down back to the common room, however they were all stopped on the way back.

"Well congratulations." Came a sneering voice, the team turned around, and saw the small form of Draco Malfoy. He was casually stood against a tree, with his usual companions of Crabbe and Goyle by his side.

"Thank you Malfoy, I understood you wanted to join the team this year, why didn't you appear for a trial?" asked Amelia, Malfoy only grinned,

"Oh Milliken, I do want to be on the team. But I didn't think a trial was quite my cup of tea." Harry's eyes narrowed as he looked at the smug boy.

"Well how do you intend to impress me if not by trialling?" he asked, Malfoy laughed and sauntered towards them, Harry noticed for the first time that Crabbe and Goyle were carrying a bundle between them.

"I intend to impress you like this potter." Malfoy laughed, gesturing to his lackeys. The two boys put down the bundle and removed the cloth wrappings.

Seven Nimbus 2001's. The wood was stained a dark brown, the twigs perfectly sculpted. Harry glanced at the brooms, keeping his face expressionless.

"I see." He said, Malfoy smirked wider.

"Do we have a deal?" Malfoy asked, Harry looked at him curiously,

"Should I say no… what then?" The pointed face boy looked confused, "Would your father return the brooms? Or having forked out so much gold, would he just go ahead and let the team use them?"

Malfoy spluttered, and Harry raised a brow, finally the blonde recovered and spat out

"These brooms come on the condition of my inclusion on the team." He said angrily. Harry nodded,

"And what position would you like to play?" Malfoy smirked, clearly thinking he had won.

"Seeker Potter, I would rather like to be the one to beat Longbottom." Harry nodded and turned to Terrence,

"Want to defend your title once again Terrence, the fifth year smirked broadly and nodded,

"Well then Malfoy. Simple, you and Terrence, both on school brooms, will play a best of three game. The winner of that competition will get the spot." Draco looked surprised, _how arrogant is he? _Harry asked himself, but he led the team back to the pitch.

The competition was interesting, Malfoy did know how to fly, and was very good, but there was little argument that Terrence was better. Of the best of three, Terrence won 2, and Malfoy the third. However despite Harry's previous comments, he was not about to give up on such a great advantage as those brooms, so, with Terrence's blessing, he gave Malfoy the spot on the team, making sure he understood that if he failed to maintain Slytherins winning streak he would be off the team before he could say "My Father".

In the weeks that followed it quickly became apparent that Harry had made the right choice, whilst Malfoy was skilled on a broom, he was undeveloped, but Terrence had sportingly agreed to help the arrogant blonde get into shape. The other seven players though, they were loving their new brooms, moves which previously had been impossible now became possibilities, and Harry was confident that he could whip the team into shape.

It was a cold afternoon that Halloween, the Slytherin team were just returning from their final practice of their week, as they walked past the Great Hall, they watched the school house elves feverishly preparing the decorations. Harry, Terrence and the seven players tiredly walked into the common room and promptly collapsed in a heap.

Harry had worked the team hard and it showed, they were all muddy and exhausted, although the excitement of the Halloween Feast seemed to have brightened their spirits.

"Excuse me Potter?" came a voice from behind Harry, he turned and saw one of the second years, Daphne Greengrass behind him.

"Yes Daphne?" he asked politely and she smiled shyly

"This arrived for you, I hope you don't me collecting it." Harry looked at the envelope in her hand, He immediately recognised Miranda's elegant curved calligraphy and took the letter, thanking the brunette Slytherin.

_Dear Harry_

_You will be pleased to hear that I got the Job, I am now officially employed by the Ministry of Magic in the department of experimental charms. I start work on Monday, and thought you should be the first to know. _

_I got our first investment quarterly today, 2.3% growth, not too bad I think, as per your advice I am holding off on our next delivery of the product until Christmas at the earliest._

_I met up with Bonnie today, I'm sure you already know from her sister, but she has been scouted for the Irish World Cup side in two years, more than a little exciting, she offered us tickets for the group stage match she's playing in this Easter, Ireland vs Lithuania, I said we would love to, so you have that to look forward to distracting you from Revision! _

_Write soon_

_With Love_

_Miranda_

Harry grinned down at the letter, he was sure that his girlfriend would have spent hours debating over how to write the letter in a not totally formal way, and for the closed off girl, Harry rather thought she had succeeded.

He folded the letter, and put it in his book bag, deciding to reply the next day. He stood up and stretched, checking his watch, 6.35. He still had time to have a shower and change out of his Quidditch robes before Halloween dinner proper started.

The feast was excellent, the food perfectly prepared and overflowing in quantity, but Harry couldn't enjoy it, his mind was miles away, with a certain blonde witch. He sighed and tried to enjoy the conversation around him. At least she was happy, and had finally got herself a job, many of the places she had applied to had rejected her out of hand, unwilling to employ anyone with the name of Rookwood.

Before long the evening grew late, and Harry stood with the rest of the school to return to the common rooms. However as they were just descending the stairs to the dungeons, they heard a scream, and most of the Slytherins about turned to investigate.

Up on the second floor a crowd had gathered, Harry forced his way to the front and was confronted by a most interesting sight, he first spotted Longbottom, Weasely and Granger, all looking guilty, gazing at the wall next to them, _The chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir, beware._ Was written in what appeared to be blood.

Possibly the most sinister of all was the dead looking cat hanging from a torch bracket, it was Mrs Norris, Filch's cat. Harry looked back at the words on the wall,

_The Chamber of Secrets?_

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**AN. So... that's chapter 7, The chamber of Secrets has been a far harder book to write than the first one. So much of it involves Harry (well more Hermione) doing some deductions, so for my Harry to be able to reach the chamber realistically, it's been tough!**

**anyway, please please please review, even if it's just a line or two. A massive thank you to those of you who have already left a review, the story's been online for 14 hours and I already have 5. it makes a writer (or wannabe writer) extremely happy!**

**Marshall Angmar.**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello Again, I've decided to Publish a new chapter every time I finish a chapter. I just finished chapter 10, so you lucky readers get chapter 8!**

**As I stated previously, This whole book was very difficult to write, however I would like to think it's ending (which will be the next chapter) is quite good, the interaction between Tom Riddle and Harry was particularly fun to write!**

**To my kind reviewers, I just want to say a massive thank you, It's all been remarkably positive and that is exactly what keeps me writing, I'm glad you're enjoying it, and if you want more quickly, keep reviewing! **

**What I will say is how close to the mark so many of you were, some of the theories you suggested for future chapters were exactly what I had in mind, whilst others were brilliant idea's that I think I may have to implement, so all of you reviewers, have a nice cup of tea on me!**

**To the person who suggested I pair Harry with Fleur, not in this story I am afraid, but I do have plans for our favourite Veela, never fear, she does have a fairly important role! **

**Anyway, without further ado, and with no more gilding the lily, I present... chapter 8!**

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**Chapter 8**

_The Chamber of Secrets_? Harry thought to himself, he had never heard of it, but looking at the faces of those around him, he was in a minority, the looks were of fear, wonder and awe.

"Enemies of the heir beware, you'll be next. Mudbloods!" Harry looked around, it was Draco Malfoy, he was standing at the front of the group, eyes looking alive. Harry sighed, Whilst Draco certainly was proficient on a broom, he had yet to learn that perhaps announcing his support for the eradication of a significant proportion of the school was perhaps not the smartest idea.

"What's going on? What's going on?" came the wheezy voice of Argus Filch, pushing his way through the crowd of onlookers. He saw the words on the wall, then his eyes flickered to his cat.

"Mrs Norris?" he asked horrified, then he rounded on Longbottom

"You!" Neville looked horrified

"No!"

"You've murdered my cat! I'll kill you! I'll…"

"Argus!" Dumbledore rounded the corner, his eyes quickly took in the still form of the cat and the writing, and his face paled. He quickly dismissed the students, and took Longbottom and his friends away to Lockhart's office.

This event understandably became the major topic of the Hogwarts Rumour mill in the following week, not many suspected that Longbottom was responsible, but that didn't change the fact that it was the most exciting thing to have happened that year.

However, Harry didn't have time to speculate on the development, he was far too busy trying to whip Slytherin into shape before the match against Gryffindor, The team were good, better than Harry had expected, and the new brooms made them excellent, so long as they played like they did in practice, Harry was certain that Gryffindor wouldn't know what him them.

The match day dawned bright and cold, a thin frost had formed on the ground under his feet and there was not a cloud in the sky, ideal conditions for chasers, although Harry mused that Draco would struggle with the glare of the sun.

By 10.30 am, the entire team was assembled in the changing room wearing their green and silver Quidditch robes. Harry stood at the front of the mass of players, he was wearing his own Quidditch robes, instead of a number however, Harry had COACH written in bright silver lettering.

"This is it, the start of our campaign." He looked around, the chasers were sat together with their heads bowed; the beaters appeared to be practicing swings, only Malfoy looked confident.

"We have the best brooms, the best players and the best coach in the school!" there were some good natured laughs directed at him, and Harry grinned. "We have our strategy, I won't bore you by going over it once again, but what I will say is this, do not think that these brooms give us the victory, we must be better than them. We must be more alert than them. Do you understand?!"

"Yes Coach!" came the shouted response, Harry nodded, a calm smirk on his face.

"Good, Slytherin on three." They all put their hands in and on three gave the shout. The seven stony faced players then stood up and made their way to the pitch. Harry stopped Malfoy just before he left.

"Malfoy. This is your moment, sink or swim, Slytherin has held the cup for six years, and I will be damned if we lose it in my first year of captaincy." Malfoy gave him a smug smile

"Relax Potter, I've got this."

"Malfoy. I will say this once, and only once. Get The Fuck Over Yourself." Malfoy looked at him askance. "If you fail to catch the snitch because you are busy fawning over yourself or mocking Longbottom, I will have you off the team, no second chances."

"With me go my brooms." The blonde pointed out, Harry shrugged, and gestured for Malfoy to follow the rest of the team.

The cheers that met the teams arrival to the pitch were muffled by the boo's that came from the other three quarters of the stadium. Harry ignored them, and instead met Madam Hooch in the middle of the pitch with Oliver Wood.

"Gentlemen, I expect a clean game, obey my whistle at all times, the captains have three time outs they can call. Other than that, any foul I don't see, or don't call, I expect you to ignore, I will not tolerate any disrespect towards myself. Now, captains, shake hands." He and wood shook, Wood trying to crush his fingers, Harry gave him a bemused smirk, refusing to show pain to the opposition.

The game got underway, and the Slytherin team's brooms suddenly became evident, they were able to outmanoeuvre the Gryff's easily, and the new moves that Harry had designed allowed for quick goals.

However, it was not the chasers game that Harry was paying attention to, his gaze was focused on his seeker. Malfoy appeared to be laughing at something, and when Harry followed the Second year's gaze, it became apparent what at.

Longbottom was being chased around the pitch by what appeared to be a rogue bludger. Harry allowed himself a smirk, before glancing at the scoreboard, 60-0.

He allowed himself to relax, the match was going well, He watched as his chasers executed a sublime Hawks Head attack, and cheered with the rest of his house. Longbottom still hadn't evaded the Bludger that seemed determined the kill him, but Harry didn't care, what did get Harry agitated though was when he saw Malfoy still laughing and throwing insults at the Gryffindor seeker.

Harry growled, keeping his eyes on his seeker, the pale boy wasn't even watching the pitch, throwing his hands up in frustration, Harry called a time out.

"_And the Slytherin coach calls a time out, I can't think why, His team is already 90 points ahead, but say what you will about Potter, he does know how to win at Quidditch!" _

The team assembled around Harry, whilst the Gryffindor's attempted to shield Neville from the bludger.

"What's the matter coach?" asked Adrien,

"Yeah, we've got this, these brooms are keeping us miles ahead!" agreed Marcus, eyes bright, Harry raised his hands to pacify them,

"It's not our chasers I'm worried about, nor our Beaters, or our keeper… not that he's had much to do!" they all laughed, before Harry rounded on Draco.

"Malfoy, I told you about this, Ignore Longbottom, focus on the fucking game." The team looked shocked as the normally mild mannered Harry raged at Draco. "I've been watching you, you haven't been watching the game, searching for the snitch, anything, you've been laughing at Longbottom." Draco looked angry, but said nothing. Harry growled, "Pull your head out of your arse Malfoy, Or I will take you off the pitch."

"Empty threat Potter." Malfoy growled with a sneer,

"Try me you inbred bastard." Harry responded with an equal sneer,

"Harry…" Marcus warned, Harry raised his hands and nodded,

"Chasers, change to attack pattern 7, they haven't seen that before, it'll keep them on their toes, Malfoy, you have one job, find the fucking Snitch!"

"_I don't know what that was about, but Coach Potter has clearly had strong words for his team, evidently a ninety point margin after 20 minutes isn't enough for some people." _

Play resumed, and it immediately became clear that Harry's words had had the desired effect. Malfoy was circling the pitch, looking furious, but focused, whilst Longbottom was still struggling with the rogue bludger.

As Harry watched, he saw the heavy Iron ball slam straight into Neville's arm. There was a loud groan from the red and gold supporters, whilst Harry smiled.

The score continued to mount up, and Neville was now barely conscious, he was clearly in a lot of pain, merely circling the pitch low down. Before long, the inevitable happened. After 45 minutes of gameplay, Draco caught the snitch and ended the game, final score 310 to 50.

That night, Slytherin enjoyed its usual victory party, Harry however left early, eager to deliver a letter to Miranda before Curfew. He ascended up out of the dungeons when he heard raised voices.

"Tom, this is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this. What if my mum found out?" came a female voice, Harry's eyebrows rose, he could guess what this conversation was about. As a prefect, it was his job to stop students from engaging in such acts, with a jovial grin, Harry left the two students to enjoy their evening. Who was he to get in the way of true love?

The next morning there school was rife with news, a Gryffindor first year by the name of Colin Creevey had been attacked and petrified the night before. Apparently he had been headed down to the Hospital Wing to visit Longbottom, when whatever happened, happened.

Harry also received a reply from Miranda, evidently, the chamber of secrets had been opened fifty years ago, and on that occasion a Muggleborn had died, it was thought to have been constructed by Salazar Slytherin himself when the school was built, but none but his heir knew where it was or how to open it.

The days following the first human attack were filled with panic, students began to buy amulets and other objects which they hoped might protect them. Harry had examined one of the amulets, and found that the only protection it contained was a mild itching curse, the worst part of all of the panic was that the Slytherins had become outcasts to the rest of the school, and Harry, as the most infamous Slytherin was dealing with the worst fallout.

A few days after Creevey's attack, a notice went up in the Slytherin Common Room. There was to be a duelling club starting the next week. Open to all years, Harry immediately signed up, it would be nice to get advice on his duelling technique from a new source, Miranda knew a lot, but she was only a student, whereas Professor Flitwick was said to have been a duelling champion.

The week rolled by, and on the evening of December 17th, Harry, Terrence, Marcus and Olivia made their way to the great hall. Harry however was disappointed by the choice of Instructor, It was not Flitwick, but Lockhart.

He bounded happily into the great hall, looking superb as ever, not a hair out of place. He strode onto the duelling platform, throwing his cloak into the crowd as he did so.

"Gather round, Gather round! Can you all hear me? Can you all see me? Excellent!" he beamed widely at the crowd, teeth glinting dangerously bright.

"When I heard the terrible news about the chamber of secrets, my immediate response was to request to Professor Dumbledore that I be allowed to form this little club in order to train each and every one of you how to defend yourself from the monsters that I myself have faced numerous times, for full details, see my published works." He gave another roguish grin, which caused some of the girls in attendance to titter.

"Now, for this evening, I have the great pleasure to introduce you to my assistant for the evening, Professor Snape!" Snape walked onto the stage, looking murderous, although Lockhart missed it.

"He claims to know a little something about duelling himself, so I thought why not have him help out?" Harry smirked at the look on Snapes face, and it appeared that Lockhart had finally noticed too. He cleared his throat nervously

"Right, um, well how about a demonstration first, I shall duel Professor Snape to show you how it's done by a semi-professional honorary member of the Dark Force Defence League." They took their positions on the stage. The duel was… anticlimactic.

Snape sent a disarming charm at Lockhart, which struck him in the chest and sent him spinning back onto the floor. He sat there for a little while before shaking himself and groaning.

"Good job Professor Snape, although if you don't mind me saying, it was painfully obvious what spell you were going to do, I just thought the students would like to see the effects of that spell!" Harry smirked again.

"How about we next have an exhibition match between two students?" asked Lockhart, he gestured to Longbottom and Malfoy, who were both near the front of the crowd.

"Mr Malfoy, Mr Longbottom, how about a duel between you two?" he asked, smile back in full force, But Snape stepped forward,

"Longbottom would fail at even the simplest spells, why don't we have some older students, with more experience?" Snape curled his lip, and Lockhart beamed at the suggestion.

"Excellent Idea Professor Snape, any volunteers from fifth year and above?" He looked at the crowd, "Mr Sylvar? How about you?" A seventh year Gryffindor strode up onto the stage to cheers, Lockhart looked at Professor Snape,

"Fancy choosing his opponent Professor Snape?" Snape smiled vindictively,

"Potter." Lockhart looked at Harry nervously, he had finally remembered why he recognised Harry's name, and recently in class had taken to informing Harry of exactly how he would have defeated James Potter if they had ever met.

"Very well, very well, Mr Potter, Mr Sylvar, are you aware of the duelling rules?" Both Harry and the Gryffindor nodded, and Harry stepped onto the stage. Harry removed his robes, leaving him in a pair of black jeans and a blue shirt.

"You will bow to one another… Good, then take fifteen paces away from one another." Lockhart instructed, and Snape stepped forward.

"This is a duel which will follow the international rules. No dark curses, and no immediately fatal curses. The duel is over when one of you is unable to continue. Obey my instructions at all times, defend yourselves at all times." He stepped back, Harry and Sylvar bowed politely, before taking the requisite number of steps back.

"3, 2… 1 begin!" called Lockhart.

The first few seconds of the duel, nobody moved, Harry had his wand held loosely at his side, whilst Sylvar had his pointed at Harry.

Sylvar suddenly sent a stunner at Harry which he dodged, neatly sidestepping the spell, Harry responded by sending a short spell chain down the Platform, _Stupefy, Bomabrda, Relashio, Impedimenta._

Sylvar quickly erected a shield and blocked the volley. The first few minutes passed like this, both testing the others defences, neither willing to use their best spells until they knew what they were up against.

Casting silently, Harry sent magical ropes at Sylvar, who responded with a wide area flame spell, incinerating the ropes, he followed this up by sending a bludger sized lump of metal at Harry. Harry transfigured the metal into a wolf, which quickly reversed direction and charged at Sylvar.

The Gryffindor smirked and with a cutting curse decapitated the animal, which he in turn transfigured into a lion, which charged at Harry. Harry banished the lion at the seventh year, who was forced to fall the floor to dodge it. Standing and turning, the Gryffindor sent a bone shatterer at the lions skull which crumpled.

In the confusion, Harry cast a disillusionment charm on himself and vanished. Sylvar stood and looked about warily, He quickly realised Harry's tactic and sent a dozen conjured rubber balls towards the other end of the platform, one of which hit Harry in the chest, knocking him down and breaking his concentration for the disillusionment charm.

Lying on his back, Harry narrowly avoided a cutting curse by rolling onto his side, and jumping to his feet. _Bombarda, Reducto, Glacis, Caecus_ the string of spells left his wand and smashed the Gryffindors shield, unfortunately the force of the bombardment hex knocked him out of the way of the rest and Sylvar rose with only a bloody nose.

The seventh year snarled viciously and cast a string of high powered cutting curses at Harry, he shielded the first three, but the fourth crumpled his shield, and the jet of blue light opened a nasty gash on his thigh, the final curse struck Harry on the chest, rending a deep wound.

Harry gasped in pain, but with a muttered cauterisation curse managed to stop the bleeding from his leg. He conjured a flock of small birds and sent them flying down the platform, the Gryffindor's incendio was too late, and he was soon attacked with the tiny beaks and claws of the animals.

Harry took the moment where his opponent was distracted to repair the damage to his leg more thoroughly, his chest was beyond his level to heal. When he was finished he looked up to see Sylvar just finishing the last bird and turning back to Harry, his expression furious and wand slashing down in an aggressive swipe. From the end of the wand sprung a dozen razor sharp knives, which the seventh year sent speeding down towards Harry, who conjured a large lump of Granite which the blades thudded against.

Lockhart bound onto the stage, "Steady now boys, steady! That is against the rules Mr Sylvar!"

Harry looked at Snape, who gave him a nod, high praise indeed from the aloof potions professor. Lockhart signalled for the duel to continue, and Harry immediately sent a furious jet of water towards Sylvar, who responded with a high powered flame charm.

The water and fire met in the middle of the platform, hissing and spitting as the water boiled and evaporated from the intense heat. Harry felt a bead of sweat roll down his brow, he couldn't keep this level of exertion up for long.

After a minute of constant effort, Harry knew he would have to finish the spell, his legs felt like jelly and his wand arm trembled. Fortunately, Sylvar broke first, and the fire vanished, Sylvar was struck by the jet of water and knocked off his feet, Harry gasped out for breath, cancelling the spell, and sucked in a deep breath.

Sylvar stood, sopping wet, water and blood mingling together to form a pink puddle at his feet. They were both out of breath, and bleeding from numerous scrapes and cuts. They stood in silence, Sylvar glaring, Harry emotionless as they looked at each other.

The room was silent, all the spectators holding their breath, they could sense the end was near. The two duellists suddenly brought their wands up. Harry sent a suffocating hex at the boy, whilst Sylvar responded with a bonebreaker.

Harry gave a strangled cry as he felt his thigh break, the pain was incredible, but he managed to keep his spell going. Sylvar had one hand at his throat, his wand hand meanwhile furiously trying to cast the tricky counter curse. Finally, after over a minute, Sylvar threw down his wand and glared at Harry, who was kneeling on the ground.

Harry allowed the suffocating curse to finish, and the Gryffindor fell to all fours, breathing deeply and coughing. The crowd was silent, before the Slytherins cheered loudly, Harry raised his wand in triumph, and carefully sat down, trying to keep his agonising leg as steady as possible.

Lockhart hurried over, wand drawn. "Allow me Harry, broken legs are my Speciality." He was looking at Harry with awe and envy, but Harry immediately pushed him away.

"I saw what you did to Longbottoms arm, no way are you doing anything to me!" Lockhart laughed and moved to perform the spell, but his arm was caught in Snapes grip.

"I believe Mr Potter told you not to perform magic on him, perhaps Mr Sylvar would be more receptive to your ministrations?" Lockhart nodded and quickly retreated.

"Well done Potter, Well done, I was concerned you may use something darker than a suffocating curse." Harry gave a weak smirk,

"The thought did cross my mind." Snape's lip curled,

"Indeed. Now, Miss Moran can take you to see Madam Pomphrey." Harry nodded, and together he and Olivia carefully made their way to the Hospital Wing. The healer helped Harry into a bed, and he was shortly followed by Sylvar, the two boys lay back as the healer regrow skin and muscle and repaired bone. The process was long, taking over an hour, but when she was finished Harry felt good as new, if exhausted.

"How the hell did a fifth year beat me?" asked the Gryffindor, looking at Harry, he looked equal parts impressed and disgruntled. Harry gave him a tired smirk,

"Slytherin secrets…" he replied, the Gryffindor just snorted and lay back on the pillows.

"Now then boys, I want you both to spend the night in here, you can go tomorrow, you're exhausted, and I don't want you doing any magic, at all for at least 24 hours." They both nodded to the healer, and tried to get while away the hours.

Late that afternoon, Harry was visited by all of his friends, who brought him up to speed with the rest of the day's events.

"So after you left, Lockhart had all of us practicing a few spells, then had a duel from two people in every year. You are never going to believe it, Longbottom is a Parselmouth!" Harry looked at Olivia in surprise.

"Longbottom?" he asked sceptically, but the others nodded fervently.

"So let me guess, the rest of the school now believes Longbottom to be the heir of Slytherin?" Harry spoke sarcastically, but when he saw the expression on the faces of his friends he groaned,

"Seriously? Longbottom? The boy who lived is a suspect?!" he asked they all nodded, from the other bed Sylvar added his thoughts,

"Well Parseltongue is the sign of a dark wizard, he-who-must-not-be-named was one after all!" Harry shrugged, he still didn't buy it.

"How did Longbottom use it then?" he asked and all the fifth years immediately started a tale of how Neville attacked a Hufflepuff with a snake conjured by Draco. Despite the evidence, Harry wasn't convinced, but he kept quiet, only asking for his friends to deliver a letter to the owlery for him, and then being left alone.

Around nine that evening however, the evidence surrounding Longbottom became a whole lot more damning, Harry and Sylvar were playing a game of chess when Dumbledore and McGonagall walked in, they were followed by Snape and Lockhart who were carrying something between them, Harry quickly identified it as a body, petrified by the looks of things, which was wearing Hufflepuff robes.

"Poor Finchfletchley" Lockhart was saying, his voice sounding anything but sorry, "I wish I had been there, I faced a very similar situation in Columbia last year, a local witchdoctor was petrifying the inhabitants of their town, fortunately I defeated her, but only after a sixteen hour duel." The other staff ignored him.

"Is it the same as the others Albus?" asked McGonagall, voice expressing her worry.

"I'm afraid so. I would like to see Mr Longbottom Minerva, whilst I do doubt him to be the suspect, it would be remise if I were not to explore every possible lead." McGonagall nodded and hurried off, Snape gave Harry a piercing look before he too left, Lockhart was still prattling on about his sixteen hour duel, but then realised he was alone, and thus he too hurried out, looking slightly pink.

"So Longbottom threatens a boy with a snake, uses Parseltongue, then that same boy, a Muggleborn ends up as petrified later that day. How wonderful." Sylvar looked at him like he had lost his mind, but Harry ignored him, he walked over to where the Hufflepuff lay and examined the body.

No markings, nothing to indicate spell damage, his skill was cold as ice and hard as stone, his eyes were unmoving but wide open, the look on his face unmistakable terror. Harry activated his _magical sight _and saw that the entire body was surrounding by a weak green glow, the likes of which Harry had never seen before, he drew his wand and cast the few diagnostic charms he knew, the boy was dead, but still alive.

He had no heartbeat, no brain activity, and was not breathing, but every charm came back the same, he was alive.

He returned to bed, just in time as Pomphrey turned out the lights and put them all to sleep.

That Christmas, Harry ended up staying at Hogwarts a few days late. He had discussed it with Miranda, and they had decided that Harry would return on Christmas Morning, as she was busy up until then.

Thus on that Christmas eve, Harry was in the Common Room, having just eaten a large dinner, Draco Malfoy was opposite him, and they were going over some seeker moves for their match against Ravenclaw. Draco had finally learnt his lesson, and when it came to Quidditch at least, had matured and now took Harry's word as law.

"Draco, have you ever considered practicing a Wronski feint?" Harry asked, Malfoy looked puzzled by the name.

"It's a diversion tactic. You act as though you've seen the Snitch, tricking the other seeker into following you and then plough them with a dive." Draco looked excited by the prospect,

"It sounds excellent, and you think it'll work?" Harry nodded,

"Chang is good at stealing the snitch, she'll follow you everywhere, letting you take the lead, then use her smaller size to steal it from you. Draw her close and then pull the feint. It'll work, but you need to make it convincing."

At that moment, Crabbe and Goyle walked in, both looking around awkwardly, before they lumbered towards Malfoy.

"Malfoy, can we talk?" asked Goyle, looking edgily at Harry, Harry smirked at them,

"I was under the impression that you were one for talking Goyle?"

"Draco? Talk?" Draco nodded distractedly,

"20 minutes Goyle, I'm busy, what's the matter with you tonight?" he asked frustratedly at his lackeys.

"Anyway Harry, I remember you talking about a move, Flash Hammer you called it, could that work, it would also be beneficial if Chang was marking me like you said?" Harry took the Slytherin play book from his robe pocket and flicked to the page Draco spoke of.

"It won't work, the Ravenclaw beaters are too good, they would stop it before we started. It's a nice idea though" he paused, looking at Draco thoughtfully, "Isn't one of them a Mudblood though?" Draco nodded, "with any luck the heir will get him before the match." Draco laughed, and Harry saw the looks of outrage flash on Crabbe and Goyles faces.

"So Potter, Who do you think the heir is?" Crabbe asked nonchalantly. Harry paused, having never seen Crabbe pull any face other than confused stupidity. Harry looked at him for a long time, carefully keeping his face emotionless.

"What do you mean Crabbe?" Harry asked, the boy looked puzzled,

"Well, you're a prefect, surely you have ideas?" asked Goyle

"You two are acting very strangely tonight" Draco added, he too was looking at them suspiciously.

"Don't worry Draco, it would appear your friends are finally growing up, Anyway Crabbe, I thought we had sorted the whole chamber of secrets fiasco out already, we know who the heir is." Harry subtly elbowed Malfoy in the ribs and he caught on quickly.

"Yeah, we do. Don't tell me you've forgotten already?" Draco added, the two boys sat forward with looks of excitement on their faces.

"Yeah, we've forgotten. Remind us" Goyle said impatiently, his eyes flickering to his watch

"Well, it's you Longbottom, we all know that." Harry had guessed who was impersonating the dim witted duo, but evidently had assumption had paid off. The boys paled, before standing up and sprinting to the common room door.

Harry was faster, and with two lightning fast stunning spells the two were unconscious. Draco looked horrified as before their eyes, the two boys shrank into Neville Longbottom and Ronald Weasely.

"Get Professor Snape Draco, actually wait, let's figure this out first." He pointed his wand at Weasely and magical ropes appeared. _Renervate! _

Weasely groaned, eyes opening dazedly. The first thing he saw when he awoke was Harry's foot impacting with his ribs.

"Good evening Weasely." He drawled with a smirk, "Care to tell me why you're hiding under polyjuice in the Slytherin common room?" Weasely coughed, but said nothing. Harry kicked him again and Weasely groaned loudly.

"I'm not happy Weasely, you've interrupted my evening." He kicked the redhead again, and then again.

"Why are you here?" Weasely glared at him defiantly, Harry nodded, before stamping on Ron's hand, not hard enough to break bone, but hard nonetheless.

"Alright! Alright! We thought Malfoy was heir of Slytherin!" Weasely blurted out, voice strained from pain.

Harry kicked him again. "Sorry Weasely, that's just ridiculous, _Tell The Truth_" Harrys voice was cold and harsh, and Weasely released a sob,

"It's true, I promise, He hates Muggleborns, and he's always such a git, we figured if it wasn't him, he at least might know who it was." Harry sighed_, what a disappointing reason_ he thought to himself.

"Get Professor Snape Draco." He said simply, before stunning Ron again and going about healing the boy, it wouldn't do for Harry's interrogation to be visible on the redhead.

Snape came and quickly took the two away, when Harry passed the points hourglass the next day, it was to the pleasant surprise of Gryffindor having been docked an impressive 200 points, It was almost too easy to beat the Gryffindor's to the house cup recently.

That day Harry returned home to Latter Alley, and to his apartment with Miranda, after an enthusiastic greeting they had a large meal, and that night Harry reflected that it was good to be back.

The Christmas holiday passed too quickly though, and before long Harry was back in the castle, his mood was rather melancholy, and he had grown rather short tempered.

One morning in early February, Harry walked in on a rather unpleasant scene, he had been walking to lunch from transfiguration with Olivia, when to his disgust he encountered four Gryffindor's surrounding a lone Slytherin.

"What's going on here Miss Greengrass?" He asked calmly, the small blonde second year looked extremely relieved to see him.

"They were going to attack me." She replied in a quiet voice.

"Is this true?" Harry asked, his tone icy,

"She's a Slytherin, you all seem to think this is a big joke, people get attacked, but the slimy stinking Slytherins who get to enjoy it!" Ron Weasely shouted,

"Listen to yourself!" Harry shouted, Olivia was shocked to see the usually so calm and reserved Slytherin prefect appear actually furious, "You four are picking on Daphne, a twelve year old girl, as though she's a dark lord or something!" Harry's breath came fast,

"Well she's a Slytherin." Argued an Irish boy in his second year,

"So that's it? Her house?" Harry shook his head, "she was put into Slytherin by a hat, a one thousand year old piece of Cloth, it is a hat which tells you who you can or can't like, and the funniest part is that you listen to it! Grow some bloody perspective!" he glared at the four Gryffindor's, Ron Weasely, Ginny Weasely, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas, he would remember them.

Following his rather embarrassing outburst, Harry was quite quiet, although Olivia said that it was the closest thing she had seen to the real Harry Potter in three years, whatever that meant.

The next week flew by, and on Valentine's Day, an event made ridiculous by Lockhart, Harry stumbled upon possibly his greatest discovery of the year. He was walking with the rest of the Slytherin fifth years when Ginny Weasely rushed past, her book bag, already frayed and worn caught on Marcus's cufflink and tore in half. Books, ink, quills and spare parchment went flying, Marcus got furious and turned to shout at the redhead.

However Harry's eyes were drawn to one of the books that had fallen. It called to him and acting on instinct he went to pick it up. As soon as his finger made contact with it he felt a great surge of dark magic, it was so primal, so raw, that he relished the feeling for a moment, he quickly pocketed the book, before turning to the others and motioning that they should go on.

Marcus frowned once more at Ginny, but left with them, Harry kept his hand on the book in his pocket and hurried around the corner, as far away from the red head. This book needed serious examination, he smirked to himself widely as he left, life at Hogwarts was never boring.

**AN. There you are, the penultimate chapter of Chamber of Secrets, the little rant Harry had about the ridiculousness of the whole house prejudice thing is something I've always kind of disagreed with, but it makes for easy drama if you're a writer I suppose...**

**Anyway, Please review, if you liked it, didn't like it, or just have a suggestion for what I should do next!**

**All the best**

**Marshall Angmar**


	10. Chapter 9

**So this is it, the first time Harry meet's Tom. I quite like the encounter, as as you will see from the next chapter, I do want to draw a distinction from the Tom Riddle of the diary and Voldemort who is currently a spirit. Whilst Tom and Harry will consider themselves near equals, Harry and Voldemort will not,**

**Anyway, I completed the eleventh chapter just now, so here is chapter 9, enjoy and review, I love it when you do!**

* * *

Chapter 9

Late that night, Harry was to be found in his dorm room, heavy wards on his bed prevented any sound or light escaping. In his hands was the mysterious diary he had acquired from Ginny Weasely, it was an innocuous little thing, plain black, rather scuffed from regular use, and Harry would probably have thought nothing of it, if it weren't for the dark magic he could feel oozing out of every page.

It was addictive, the feel of the book, throughout the day Harry had found himself stroking the spine, just to get a stronger connection to the power it contained.

He opened the book to the first page, and to his disappointment found it blank, he flicked through the first few pages, then through the whole book, to his frustration the entire book was empty.

He sighed to himself, and put it face down on his lap. It was like that that he noticed something new, a name, in faded gold lettering. _Tom M. Riddle_, Harry knew the name.

Tom Riddle had received a special award for services to the school, his shield was right next to Harry's own in the trophy room, Tom had been head boy of Hogwarts fifty years ago and then vanished, why would such a wizards diary have ended up in Ginny Weaselys care? Harry sighed and drew his wand.

_Finite Incantatem!_ Nothing happened, but Harry was not put out, _apparecium!_ Again nothing,they were after all, the simplest of detection spells, _Magicum Revealio! _This time a bright spectrum of colour danced across the book, before it was all sucked into the diary, leaving just black and dark grey left. That at least confirmed what Harry already knew, the book was dark, very dark.

He put down his wand and picked up a quill. He inked the tip and opened the book to its first page. He paused, considering what to write and then decided,

_Tom Riddle  
Head Boy of Hogwarts – 1945  
Special award for services to the school – 1943  
Slytherin House – 1938 – 1945_

The ink lingered on the page as Harry mused over what to write next, and as Harry leant down to continue his thoughts, the words he had written were sucked into the page, Harry watched fascinated as the ink vanished before his eyes.

Suddenly, just as fast as it had vanished new words appeared in the book, words that Harry had never written, in Handwriting Harry had never seen before.

_Why do you write my name?_ Harry was shocked, but he eagerly dipped his quill back into his ink,

_I am interested in you. (H)_

_You are not Ginny Weasely I assume? (T)_

_I am not. (H)_

_Then you have me at a disadvantage. Who are you? (T)_

_I am a Slytherin. I wish to learn about this diary. (H)_

_This diary contains many secrets. (T)_

_Obviously. (H)_

_I grow tired of these games, if you truly have the best interests of Slytherin at heart, you must return me to the Weasely. (T)_

_I imagine that the whims and fancies of an eleven year old girl are hardly the most stimulating conversation for you? (H)_

_No, but she is necessary, she is the arm with which I strike. (T) _

Harry paused and looked down at the page, it wasn't possible this book was the heir of Slytherin!

_You are the heir of Slytherin? (H)_

_How perceptive (T)_

_I was given to believe the dark lord was the heir of Slytherin, are you he? (H)_

_I must get back to Ginny Weasely. (T)_

Fuck. Harry thought, this was not good, he possessed a vessel that contained Lord Voldemort's consciousness. Harry's mind raced, if he gave this book to Dumbledore, he would be praised and almost guaranteed protection from the Headmaster, on the other hand, if he gave the book to Ginny, she could finish the heirs work, Voldemort would return, and he would be rewarded.

Voldemort or Dumbledore? Harry's mind wanted to say the dark lord, he certainly agreed with he-who-must-not-be-named on many issues, whilst Dumbledore came across as Naïve and manipulative.

Dark or Light?

Harry could give the book to Ginny, it was unlikely the book would reveal its secrets, besides it appeared to have a plan. Giving Ginny the book would get him into no trouble really, Dumbledore wouldn't find out, and it would gain favour with he-who-must-not-be-named, Win-Win… or so Harry hoped.

_I will give Ginny the Diary._ He wrote, hand shaking slightly.

_Good, I will not forget this. Who are you? (T)_

_Harry Potter. (H) _

_You will not regret this. (T) _

Harry looked down at the book, he certainly hoped that he wouldn't.

Harry had given the book to Ginny the next day, the way she had snatched it from him, and the feral look in her eyes gave Harry an idea of the level of control the book had over her. Harry covertly cast a very powerful tracking charm on her, and another on the book. The spring term passed quickly, to Harry' surprise there hadn't been an attack for several weeks.

It wasn't until the eighth of May that anything interesting happened, Harry was sitting in the Quidditch stands, excitedly awaiting the Hufflepuff – Ravenclaw match that would decide who Slytherins competitor in the final would be. He was surrounded by his team, who he had instructed to watch the game carefully.

"THIS MATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED, ALL STUDENTS WILL RETURN TO THEIR DORMITORIES, IMMEDIATELY PLEASE._" _Came the magnified voice of Professor McGonagall. Harry raised his eyebrow, an announcement such as this could only mean another attack, and he wondered who it was.

He quickly discovered the identity of the victims, Penelope Clearwater, a rather pretty Ravenclaw in the year above, and Longbottoms friend Granger. Harry's tracking charm on Ginny had shown that she was somewhere under the school, maybe in the dungeons? Harry mused that they were large enough to vanish in if the hidden chamber entrance was there.

Following the announcement of this double attack, Dumbledore was removed as Headmaster and Hagrid was arrested, Harry wasn't sure if this was he-who-must-not-be-named's aim, but it was certainly beneficial. Harry had begun to believe Dumbledore may be watching him. At meal times he had frequently caught Dumbledore staring at him, and he also seemed to have a shadow in some portraits. It had prevented Harry practicing any dark magic, which only added to Harry's bad mood.

The following weeks went by remarkable slowly, the entire school was on edge, and there was a strong feeling of depression hanging around. On several occasions Harry had stumbled across groups of students openly weeping in the hallways, there was also a strong distrust of Slytherins evident. Younger students would be escorted around the halls by prefects or seventh years, whilst no one was willing to sit next to a Slytherin in class anymore.

Harry ignored most of this. He had taken to stalking the Weasely girl, she was looking worse every day, and Harry could feel the strength of the diary growing, a dark, malevolent feeling surrounded the red head's bag.

On Saturday, Harry was sitting in the library with his eyes only half focused on the book in front of him. He had his OWL's coming up and knew he should be revising, but this seemed to be a far more interesting project.

In front of him was Ginny, around three tables away. She looked exhausted, and her hair had lost much of its red lustre. Harry looked up just in time to see the girls eyes flash red, before she stood up and began to walk mechanically towards the door. Harry smirked, this could be his ticket into the chamber.

He stood and surreptitiously cast a disillusionment charm and silencing charm on himself. Before quickly walked into the hall and following the redhead.

Harry was behind her down to the second floor, then watched curiously as she began to paint words on the wall outside Moaning Myrtles bathroom.

_Her Skeleton will lie in the chamber forever. _

Well that's only a bit sinister. Harry thought to himself, but he said nothing, merely following the red head into the bathroom. What did shock Harry however was when she spoke what Harry could only assume was Parseltongue, hisses and spits came from her mouth, and to his amazement, the sink she spoke to opened up.

A wide hole, easily four feet wide appeared from the sink. Harry smirked as slid in, Harry gave her a few seconds head start then followed behind, slowing his descent with a feather weight charm. When he arrived at the bottom of the long, dark pipe, he discovered himself to be at the end of a wide, high corridor, it was rounded and filled with skeleton bones and slime.

Harry listened intently, but from the sounds of things Ginny was already a good few hundred feet ahead of him. Harry hurried to catch up, reapplying the silencing charm to his feet. He followed the girl for what felt like half a mile, from the way the amount of moisture increased he guessed he must be somewhere under the lake.

Eventually they reached the end of the passage. A large dark door blocked any entrance, it was pure black with six silver serpents like spokes around the centre. Harry couldn't see a doorknob, but when Ginny spoke again in Parseltongue the serpents slid inwards, and the door swung open on silent hinges.

Harry followed behind Ginny, the chamber was stunning Harry thought, around one hundred feet long, and easily twice that high, it was elegantly carved from a dark grey stone, flanking a central walkway were a dozen beautifully carved serpents, each over 15 feet high.

At the far end of the chamber was an enormous statue, as high as the chamber itself, it depicted a young man, his beard was well trimmed and his hear reached his shoulders, he wore outdated but well-fitting robes. Harry knew this must be Salazar Slytherin, and Harry knew he must have been in the chamber of secrets.

He was startled out of his reverie at the image of the founder of his house when he saw Ginny standing at the feet of the statue. She held out her hand, and with a flick of her wand sliced open her palm. Harry watched fascinated as the flow of blood poured onto Riddle's diary at her feet. The book glowed white, absorbing the red liquid hungrily.

After only a few seconds of this, the Gryffindor first year lay down, crossing her hands on her chest, and closed her eyes, as if to sleep. Harry watched intrigued as a figure began to slowly materialise at her feet.

The figure was tall, at least two inches higher than Harry, and unmistakably male. He appeared first as a hazy outline, and Harry watched transfixed as the figure gradually gained definition and an outline.

After 30 minutes of not moving, the figure rose from its kneeling position. Harry was write, it was male, around six feet tall, with pale skin and soft black hair. He was dressed in black robes decorated with the Slytherin crest and held in its hand Ginny's wand.

The man, Riddle Harry guessed, turned to the direction in which he stood and quirked his eyebrow.

"And have you found the chamber satisfactory?" he asked, his voice was smooth, refined and hinted at a dark cruelty. Harry inhaled quickly, before dropping his concealment charms and striding confidently forward.

As he got closer to Riddle he began to notice his features further. High cheekbones and full lips, his face was well proportioned and Harry would have described him as handsome if it weren't for his eyes. They were the same eyes that Harry had first seen in Miranda, then later in himself.

They were the eyes of a man who had seen pain, and learnt to harm others. They were the eyes of someone who would kill without question, and hunt his enemies without remorse. Unlike Miranda's eyes however, they showed no loneliness behind their ice cold exterior.

"I presume you to be Tom M. Riddle?" Harry asked, his voice matching Riddle's.

"I am indeed, and may I guess you to be Mr Harry Potter? Son of the traitor?" Harry gave a smooth half bow

"At your service." Riddle's lips twitched,

"I must confess, I asked Ginny about you after our brief talk, from what she described I did not expect to see you down here." Harry smirked coldly

"I did warn you against the conversation of an eleven year old girl."

"Indeed. But tell me Potter, what did you expect to find down here?" He cocked his head as he looked at Harry, _Why had he come down here?_ He asked himself, it was completely out of character for him, there was no significant gain to be found, it wasn't like last year where the reward was immortality and wealth, this year the prize was… nothing.

"I don't know." He replied honestly. Riddle looked at him surprised.

"You don't know?" he asked, lips stretching into a cruel imitation of a smile, "You don't know?" The boy began to laugh, and Harry felt his smirk broaden into something more resembling a smile. Riddle laughed for a long time, the noise was high and cold,

"You do surprise me Potter," Riddle eventually said, Harry nodded his head as though accepting a compliment.

"I suppose it was the diary." Harry eventually said, and Riddle nodded,

"A rather brilliant piece of magic if I do say so myself. The diary is the culmination of over a year's hard work." Riddle looked down at the diary clutched in Ginny's hands. "To freeze my own consciousness in paper, to create an immortal vessel from which my sixteen year old self could reside, could create flesh given time and effort. Rather brilliant." Harry nodded in agreement, though he still kept his eyes on the boy in front of him.

Riddle suddenly stopped looking at the diary, his face again peering at Harry in that creepy, intrigued way, "you helped me before, Harry Potter."

"I did."

"And thanks to your assistance, I will find once more gain a body." Harry didn't let any emotion be show on his face, clamping his Occlumency shields down as hard as he could.

"I must say Potter, we are awfully alike." Came Riddles voice, Harry quirked an eyebrow,

"Both Orphans, or at least raised in Orphanages" Riddle began,

"Both Slytherins" Harry continued, Riddle smirked,

"Both practitioners of dark magic's." Harry raised his eyebrows, "Oh yes Harry, I feel the darkness in you" Riddle said, eye's firmly glued to Harry's face.

"Both with special awards for Services to the school." Harry continued, Riddle bowed his head graciously,

"Both finding a home in Hogwarts which we had not experienced before."

"Both Prefects."

"Both disliking Muggles."

"Both intrigued by Power and immortality."

"Both from poor backgrounds."

"Both highly skilled in offensive magic's"

"Both with a significant dislike of Dumbledore" Harry shrugged his shoulders with a smirk at Riddle's final comment,

"Hell, Riddle, we both look the same, you've aged impeccably in fifty years." Harry said with a wry smirk, Riddle laughed coldly before nodding.

"It is almost eerie is it not?" Riddle said quietly, his voice breathy, he stepped towards Harry,

"quite" Harry whispered, he drew his wand and examined it carelessly in the dim light, Riddle stopped quickly, then threw his head back and laughed, this was not the cold laugh of before, but instead a full rich sound,

"Yew and Phoenix tail feather?" Harry nodded and Riddle wiped away a tear, "We are alike Potter, near perfect copies."

"We could achieve much together." Riddle said, caressing the words as he said them. Harry felt his chest freeze, he knew where this was going, and he didn't know what his answer would be.

"I imagine so." He said carefully. Riddle looked at him, sizing him up.

"Join me Potter, join my army, you are strong, and you have a brilliant mind." Harry released his breath, and something in his face must have displayed his interest for Riddle pressed on,

"Think of what he could achieve, the World would lie at our feet, we could cleanse the stain of corruption, treachery and Muggles from Wizarding Society, we would subjugate out foes, you desire magical power and immortality? Together we could learn secrets of magic previously unheard of!" Harry's chest felt light, his breath came rapidly and he clenched his lips.

"Join me Potter, wealth, power, an army behind you." He paused, a smirk tugging at his lips, "The world would kneel at your feet, if you would but kneel at mine." Harry's looked up at the ceiling of the cavernous chamber, his heart was beating a mile a minute and his brain was in overdrive.

Light or Dark?

Through the stone he already had wealth and immortality, but he knew in his heart that Riddle… no, that Voldemort, had the drive, the ambition and the power to force his goals through, he briefly considered Miranda, what she would want, but then remembered that she had already told him.

Her first loyalty lay to herself, and then to her father. She would follow Voldemort when the time came.

Power, fear, respect.

His eyes slowly fell to Voldemort again, Riddle's eyes were on him speculatively, his posture filled with righteous strength. Harry, for the first time in over three years completely lowered his Occlumency shields, he saw Riddles face fleetingly show surprise.

Taking a final deep breath, he allowed his legs to slowly bend, knee's making hard contact with the stone at his feet, he allowed his head to elegantly fall forward. Above him he heard Riddle take in an excited breath. The words deal with the devil briefly flashed across his mind.

He glanced up after a long moment of silence, Riddle was looking at him curiously and his countenance appeared genuinely surprised.

"From all I knew of you Harry Potter, I did not think you would kneel, perhaps we are not as alike as I would had thought, no matter… rise Harry Potter, rise and accept your destiny." Harry stood, his entire body thrummed with anticipation.

"I will have a corporeal body in less than an hour, when Ginny is dead, then I am become whole. Then I am become death." Harry resisted rolling his eyes at the flamboyant language, "Upon regaining my full body, I will leave the school via one of the tunnels which leads out." Harry nodded, and Riddle paused.

"You will remain in school, it would be useful for me to know exactly what is going on." Harry nodded again, Riddle opened his mouth to continue speaking, but paused, they both heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the passage. Riddle sneered,

"Well, it would appear Longbottom, our intrepid hero approaches, hide Harry, I would not have you revealed yet." Harry quickly replaced the charms that had him covered previously and silently glided over to lean against the wall of the chamber.

Less than two minutes later the sound of the massive chamber door opening resonated around the cavernous room. Longbottom strode in, he was alone, and covered in slime and mud. He looked around the room in horrified awe before spotting the prone form lying at the vast statues feet.

"Ginny!" he cried, rushing forward, his feet splashed loudly against the wet tiles.

"Ginny, wake up! Please wake up!" he cried, his voice sounded strangled, he reached the red headed girl and collapsed to his knees next to her.

"Please don't be dead! Please wake up Gin!" Harry smirked as he saw the phantom Riddle materialise behind Longbottom.

"She won't wake." He said softly, and Neville jumped, he quickly turned and drew his wand.

"Tom?" he asked with an incredulous expression, Harry raised his eyebrows, he had not expected Neville to know Riddle!

"Hello again Neville." The spirit said, its voice appearing polite but filled with scorn and derision for those who knew what to listen for.

"What do you mean she won't wake Tom?" Neville asked, then his face paled "She's not…"

"She's not dead, but she will be soon." Neville looked startled.

"Then help me get her to the infirmary, there's a basilisk here, it could turn up at any minute!" Harry blinked, a basilisk? That explained a lot.

He looked around cautiously, whilst Riddle would probably not order the beast to attack Harry, a beast like a Basilisk could kill him by accident! He drew his wand, looking around cautiously.

"It will not come until it is called." Riddle said with a smirk, Longbottom appeared to have finally realised the danger he was in. Riddle twirled Weaselys wand mockingly between his fingers.

"It wasn't… Tom, you... you?" Longbottom asked, his voice shaking in fear.

"Me." Harry almost laughed at the petrified expression on Neville's face. The chubby boy-saviour raised his wand fearfully. Riddle chuckled ominously.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Neville, the blue spell left his wand and sailed towards Riddle, who deflected it into the wall without even blinking. He flicked his wand at Neville and the boy sailed ten feet backwards before landing in a deep puddle of water. He floundered for a moment before rising to a standstill, sopping wet.

"You won't get away with this Riddle!" Neville cried, though he made no further moves to attack Tom.

"And who will stop me? You Neville? The boy who defeated the most powerful dark lord in a thousand years?" Riddle chuckled darkly again, "How did you do that Neville? How did a baby defeat such a powerful figure as a Dark Lord?"

"Why do you care? Voldemort was after your time." Neville asked, his curiosity plain on his face.

"Voldemort is my time, he is my past, present and future." Riddle then proceeded to spell out his name in fire in the air. Harry was interested, _must be a modified flagrate spell_ he thought to himself, filing the information away.

"You… Tom, you are Voldemort?" Neville asked, horrified, he then stood slightly straighter, "I am not afraid of you, Dumbledore can still defeat you!" Riddle suddenly looked furious, his handsome features distorted in rage.

"Dumbledore was driven from this school by the mere Memory of me!" he shouted angrily, snapping his wand again at Neville and sending him once more into the puddle.

Neville rose on shaky legs, but suddenly the chamber was filled with haunting song, and a beautiful gold and crimson bird soared down the length of the chamber. _The_ _Phoenix Lament _Harry thought, He felt a sharp pain in his chest at the sound. As a practitioner of dark magic, his soul was too corrupted to be uplifted by the pure noise of such a light creature.

The phoenix, which had circled the room above their heads suddenly landed on Neville's sodden shoulder, dropping what appeared to be a sack of cloth into Neville's hands.

"Fawkes?" Neville asked, Riddle appeared concerned about the sudden addition to the group,

"What's that it gave you? What is it?!" Neville looked down at the package in his hands, holding it up he revealed it to be the sorting hat. Riddle laughed but Harry frowned, Fawkes was Dumbledore's phoenix, which meant that Dumbledore had sent Neville the sorting hat, Dumbledore, whilst old and altogether too forgiving, was undoubtedly wise and extremely powerful.

"So this is what Dumbledore sends his great protector?" Riddle laughed, "A songbird and an old hat?" he cackled loudly. Before catching himself,

"Ah well, shall we match the might of Lord Voldemort, heir to Salazar Slytherin against that of Dumbledore?" Neville looked confused, but held his wand at the ready. Riddle turned to the statue and spoke in Parseltongue, his voice harsh spits and hisses.

Harry didn't understand what was said, but suddenly a large… something, could be heard slithering behind the tunnel. Harry suddenly realised what was coming, and shut his eyes tight.

"Run Longbottom, flee before the beast of Slytherin, fly from the king of Serpents!" Riddle cried and Harry heard Neville's feet pounding on the wet stone, he opened his eyes minutely and saw the Basilisk.

It was sixty feet long, seven feet high and its mouth was large enough to fit a man in whole, it was sliding after Neville as he ran down a side passage, after a few minutes, there was silence and Harry carefully made his way back to Riddle's side.

"I would be careful Tom, Dumbledore would not have sent the hat to Longbottom if it weren't of some use." Riddle looked at him, but nodded slowly. His eyes briefly looked around the chamber for the hat, but it had vanished along with the phoenix.

"You will protect my diary, Potter, as well as Miss Weasely, the process still requires ten minutes or so." Harry nodded and with a wave of his wand summoned the little black book into his hands. It still radiated darkness, but not as powerfully as before. He slid the book into one of his pockets before turning back to his… he frowned, was Riddle his master? His Lord? The young Lord Voldemort had given him no hints on etiquette at this point.

The two teenagers stood in silence side by side awaiting the return, of boy or beast neither could be sure, although Harry privately thought the chances of Neville defeating such a monster were minimal at best.

Around ten minutes after Neville had run off, the boy saviour returned. His eyes were bloodshot and he was terribly out of breath, but he didn't appear to be injured in any way. His eyes widened comically when he saw Harry stood next to Riddle,

"You!" he cried, Harry gave him an elegant wave

"Good Evening Neville."

"You're with him?" He asked, and Riddle chuckled.

"He is with me." Neville looked horrified, but drew his wand carefully aiming at the two Slytherin Boy's.

Harry prepared to raise a shield, when from behind him came a massive shriek. Harry turned to see the Basilisk rising from one of the vast pools of standing water. Quickly closing his eyes he heard Riddle speak to the snake.

"You may open your eyes Harry. It won't look at you." Harry carefully peered at the Basilisk, which was currently doing battle with Fawkes.

The next few minutes passed in a rapid blur of violence, blood, cries and death. The phoenix blinded the Basilisk, before Harry killed the bird… or at least forced it to be reborn with a killing curse. Somehow Neville acquired a sword, although from where Harry didn't know, then to his and Riddle's amazement slew the basilisk by stabbing it through the eye.

Neville pulled the sword from the beast's eye with a vicious yank. He was soaking wet and freezing cold, coated from head to foot in grime, sweat and blood. Holding the sword in his right hand and wand in his left, he approached the two Slytherins in front of him.

They were a terrifying sight, both had identical cold, hard expressions on their faces. Wands held loosely at their sides. Neville wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take either of the two boy's on in a duel, he knew them both to be prodigies with magic, but he would go down fighting, as his parents had.

Riddle started to clap mockingly, whilst Potter grew a smug smirk that set Neville on edge.

"Well done Neville, you have killed the monster, but surely you don't really think you can defeat us?" His voice was high and cold, his eyes alight with vicious amusement. Neville didn't reply, but held his weapons at a more ready position.

"Fight him Harry. But do not kill him, I do not want him dead… just yet." Neville stood rooted to the spot as Potter took three steps forward, before suddenly flicking his wand at Neville.

The Gryffindor felt like he had taken a bludger to the chest, collapsing to his knee's he gasped, sucking in air through gritted teeth. He rose as quickly as he could, just in time to see Potter point his wand at him again.

"Protego!" Neville shouted, his shield flaring as it blocked Harry's invisible spell. Potter smirked, but giving his wand a twist and loop, created a bright jet of orange light that flew at Neville, who wasn't able to shield himself in time.

The spell struck the boy-who-lived in the chest and he felt like a thousand volts of electricity were flowing through him. Every muscle in the boy's body contracted and he cried out in agony. Harry kept the spell up for twenty seconds before releasing it. Neville lay on the ground, tears were streaming down his face and his throat was raw from screaming.

He lay panting, before suddenly he felt all the air in his chest leave his lungs and he choked violently. He saw Potter standing over him, and with a smirk the boy flicked his wand at Neville sending him spinning across the room, back into one of the large puddles.

Neville stood quickly and hurled a disarming hex at Harry, the boy chuckled as he sidestepped the spell. Neville merely snarled.

"Rictumsempera! Desaugeo! Engorgio! Expulso! Expeliarmus!" To Neville's dismay, his stream of jinxes and cursing were all dodged by the fifth year Slytherin. Potter then sent the same electrifying curse at the water Neville was stood in, and he screamed in agony as the blue arcs of lightning flew across his body. When Potter eventually stopped the curse, Neville's entire body was steaming.

"Enough Potter, although I must say, a most entertaining display."

Neville looked up to see Riddle standing before him, but Riddle's outline was no longer wavy and indistinct. He was solid, and very much real. Neville felt like crying again, but held himself back.

"Until we meet again Neville. _Obliviate_."

When Neville woke up an hour later, he was alone. He saw the dead basilisk, and looked down at his hand, the diary was covered in ink, and impaled on Gryffindor's sword.

He suddenly remembered, he remembered entering the chamber and discovering Tom on his own. The fight with the Basilisk with Fawkes, stabbing the basilisk and killing it, before duelling Riddle. Then stabbing the diary, which destroyed Riddle. He looked around the deserted chamber.

"Ginny!" He cried, hurrying over to the motionless girl, she didn't move. He fell next to her and felt for her pulse. There was nothing. He shook her by the shoulders but she didn't move. "Ginny, wake up! Come on, wake up!" but she didn't. Neville felt tears stream down his cheeks, he put the sword through his belt before picking the girl up, he tried not to think about how cold she was as he carried her out of the chamber, and he tried not to think about the expression on the Weaselys faces when they discovered the fate of their only daughter.

Harry allowed himself a rare smile, he had finished his exams, and tomorrow he would finally be going home, back to Miranda, and back to a life where he was free to live as he wished, without any of the masks he so often used at Hogwarts.

As he left the great hall after breakfast, he passed Longbottom and Weasely. They were both looking extremely dejected, Harry supressed a grin, whilst the events in the chamber were undoubtedly some of the most important in Harry's life, he had made a choice, and not one he could ever easily back out of.

He had left Tom that night. The newly reincarnated boy had returned Harry to the outskirts of Hogwarts, before leaving to gather strength and his old followers. His instructions to Harry were very clear, he was to check in with Riddle at some point of his summer, other than that, simply stay in school and keep an eye on Hogwarts.

With a smug smile on his lips, Harry was about to head down the stairs to the dungeons when he was stopped by a voice behind him.

"Mr Potter?" He turned and smiled charmingly at Professor McGonagall. She smiled kindly back at the transfiguration prodigy.

"Good Morning Professor, may I help you?" he asked politely, McGonagall gave him a sympathetic shake of the head.

"No Harry, but I think it best if you follow me to the Headmasters office." Harry's charming smile instantly vanished, replaced with cautious concern.

"Don't worry Potter, you are not in trouble." Harry felt his concern reduce slightly, and emptied his face of all worries and concerns as he followed the deputy Headmistress.

"Ice Mice." McGonagall spoke clearly to an ugly Gargoyle, which stepped aside immediately, revealing a curving spiral staircase. The two of the stepped forward, and together they stepped into the headmaster's office.

"Professor Dumbledore sir." Harry greeted the old man respectfully. The headmaster bowed his head in kind. Harry thought he looked exhausted, his face was lined and his blue eyes, normally so bright and alive were dimmed and had a look of immense weariness in them.

"Harry I am afraid I must become the bearer of bad news." Harry looked at the elderly man carefully. Making sure to keep his face empty.

"Harry, at eleven o'clock last night, there was an incident at Azkaban." Harry showed no expression, except perhaps for a slight tightening of his eyes.

"Nobody knows exactly what happened, but the end result is, well, Harry my boy, your father has escaped." The fifth year Slytherin felt dizzy, he looked carefully at Professor McGonagall and saw that her lips were pursed so tightly that they had gone white.

"Am I in any danger Professor?" Harry asked neutrally, Dumbledore shook his head ruefully,

"I cannot tell you that Harry, for I do not know the answer, it's possible that your father will come after you, in some attempt to regain that which he has lost, but it is equally possible that he will seek only his fallen master." Harry sighed bitterly, but said nothing, Dumbledore then appeared to age before Harry's eyes,

"However, given the nature of what he would say in his sleep in prison, we fear that Neville Longbottom is the target of your father's wrath at the present time." Harry and Dumbledore stared at each other for several moments, the silence stretching between them.

"Is that all Professor?" Harry finally asked, Dumbledore shook his head slowly,

"No my boy, Professor Snape tells me you have often asked to remain at Hogwarts over the Summer Holidays in past years?" Harry nodded and some of the old life appeared in Dumbledore's eyes. "I think, that due to the delicate situation we find ourselves in, Hogwarts could stretch the rules for you this year, if you want it that is?"

The headmaster looked at Harry almost hopefully, but Harry shook his head, "The offer is kind headmaster, extremely kind, and I would have most certainly taken it up two years ago, but I cannot now, things change." Dumbledore nodded sadly, as though expecting the answer,

"Well, it is always nice to return to our loved ones, it must be difficult to go so long apart from Miss Rookwood?" Harry stiffened at Dumbledore's words, and the aged headmaster raised his hands calmly, "I have not been keeping tabs on you Harry, I merely checked to see where you had your address down for after last night's debacle."

"Thank you headmaster, and you are correct, I have missed Miranda lately, it will be nice to see her again." The Headmaster gave him a wry smile,

"It is our ability to love that set's us so much higher than the others Harry, never forget Love, for it is our greatest weapon against the darkness." With a graceful nod, Harry agreed with Dumbledore.

"Before you go Harry," Dumbledore began, "I feel I would be remiss if I did not ask you if there was anything you felt you should tell me." Harry frowned, looking at Dumbledore carefully, the old man's face was completely open. He was peering at Harry over his half-moon spectacles, looking as sincere as could be.

"I don't understand Professor?" Harry asked slowly, Dumbledore sighed, leaning back in his chair,

"There was a student I once taught who was just like you Harry, Muggle raised in an Orphanage, poor, but brilliant, parentless, but so brave, a school prefect and a model student. However I failed that student, and everything that happened since is my fault to a degree, I would not like to fail you as well my boy."

"Who was this student?" Harry asked, even if he already had strong suspicions of who Dumbledore spoke of.

"Tom, Tom Riddle." Dumbledore said, Harry allowed only amused recollection to show on his face,

"I know that name, his special award for services to the school is just next to mine!" Dumbledore nodded slowly,

"Indeed, that is just another thing that the two of you would have in common." Harry gave the aging headmaster a small smile.

"I thank you for sharing headmaster, however, you needn't worry, there is nothing I feel you need to know." Dumbledore nodded sadly, and with a wave of his hand dismissed Harry.

Just as Harry's hand opened the door, Dumbledore spoke again, "I know it must be so hard for you, and I know you won't let me help you, but I wish I could Harry, I wish I could."

Harry ignored the resigned yet desperate words of the headmaster, and made his way down the stairs.

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**Writing Dumbledore was hard, It's hard to make a balance between the forgiving grandfather, and the man who will stop at nothing to stop Riddle. Any questions, criticisms or queries, give me a review and I will try to answer them.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Well here we go, chapter 10, not my favourite chapter I think, but necessary, and it contains Tom, who is one of my favourite characters to write. Please remember that the interaction between Tom and Harry is far more informal than we will see between Harry and Voldemort.**

**Thank you for all the reviews, they have all been incredibly positive!**

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Chapter 10

Harry released a loud sigh when he finally was able to place his trunk down in his bedroom. The journey from Hogwarts had been the worst yet, his father's escape had been published in that morning's issue of _the Daily Prophet_ and it was all anyone could seem to speak about. First years squeaked and ran at the sight of him, whilst older students reignited the old taunts of "_Traitor" _when they passed him.

However he was home now, in the perfectly decorated and comfortable home he shared with Miranda. He left the bedroom and took a seat on the deep sofa, stretching out like a cat on the luxurious cushions.

"Minnie" he called, and the loyal house elf appeared before him at once.

"Minnie, fetch me something to drink, tea… actually a glass of wine, white please." The elf bowed and Harry released a gentle breath, crossing his feet at the end of the sofa.

The elf quickly reappeared, a glass of Muggle Sauvignon Blanc in her small hand. Harry accepted it with a nod, and took a small sip of the perfectly chilled liquid, he turned on the wireless on the table next to him, and allowed the soothing tunes of _Spelllight_, the popular Wizard jazz band to flow over him.

He wasn't lay there long, perhaps twenty minutes by his reckoning, before the door opened. Miranda walked in, looking as aloof and arrogant as ever, although that expression quickly faded once she saw him, replaced with a look of subdued delight.

"Harry!" she exclaimed "Get your feet off my sofa." Harry gave her a lopsided smirk, but stood up to greet her. He looked her over, noticing the dark bags under her eyes, covered as they were with makeup, and her eyes displayed a deep anxiety.

"It's good to see you again" Harry murmured softly, taking her into his arms for a deep hug, she quickly responded intensely, gripping him tightly.

"So you're father's out." She stated, and her face took on a somewhat disgruntled look, "Seems you get everything hmm Potter?"

"Are you jealous that my father is an escaped convict?" Harry asked, a twinkle in his eye, Miranda hid a grin expertly

"Escaped beats imprisoned every day of the week." Harry rolled his eyes at her.

Harry sat down and summoned Minnie for two more glasses of wine. They spent a few minutes discussing the possible ramifications of James Potter's escape, whilst Harry tried to impress upon her that it didn't change anything.

"That's all very good Harry" she sighed, looking at him critically, her ice blue eyes glinting dangerously, "But the fact is that there is an incredibly dangerous criminal on the loose, who has ambitions of killing Neville Longbottom, a boy you will be sharing a school with in the coming months."

"I know darling, but it doesn't mean I will ever meet him." Harry explained patiently. Miranda glared at him angrily,

"You're right, you probably never will meet him, but the rest of the country doesn't know that. Anything James Potter does, you will be implicated in by default. You do understand that don't you?"

Harry remained silent mulling over his girlfriend's words. She did make a lot of sense, and he allowed his mind to rapidly run through the likely scenarios, each one agreeing with the blonde. He nodded curtly and Miranda smirked in satisfaction at her small victory.

"I'm glad you have finally seen sense dear." She said, her voice sugar sweet, Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead his took a deep sip of wine.

"I have to tell you something else I am afraid." Harry began, he felt his chest flutter nervously, but ruthlessly supressed the feelings. The blonde looked at him quizzically, her face showed a small amount of concern when she saw the look on his face,

"What is it Potter?" she asked, her voice cautious. Slowly, Harry told her about his meeting with the boy Voldemort, and his vow to serve the Dark Lord, Miranda listened in absolute silence, her eyes on the cold wine glass in her hand. Her face gave nothing away. When Harry finished, he took a long draught of wine and drained the glass. Miranda looked at her own and similarly emptied it, before summoning Minnie and requesting a full bottle.

Their glasses reloaded, Miranda took a deep breath, then slowly released it, before she gave Harry a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry Harry, you had no real choice, besides, I always thought we would join the Dark Lord, although to be honest I had expected such a decision to be made in several years."

"You did? I always thought he was dead" Harry replied, his voice revealing his surprise.

"Of course, The Dark Lord was the most powerful sorcerer for a thousand years, you didn't truly expect him to be defeated by an infant did you?" Harry gave a small embarrassed shrug, and Miranda shook her head. "Hopeless."

Harry smirked, but said nothing, "So why didn't the Dark Lord kill Longbottom in the chamber? From the sounds of it you had him at your mercy"

"I don't know" Harry admitted, "But I have suspicions." Miranda looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "Well, I believe that Riddle, sorry, the Dark Lord, wishes for Longbottoms death to be a public display to the world, a declaration of his might… although having duelled Longbottom, I really don't think him much of a challenge." Miranda suppressed a snort, but cuddled into his side,

"I leave you for one year and look what happens, It's a good thing you're at least half-way competent, else I'd have to break you out of Azkaban!"

Harry laughed, and listened as she caught him up on her own recent events. From the description, Experimental charms was rather dull, as most of the time it involved bureaucracy and paper pushing, although Harry was interested to learn about his girlfriend's application to join the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

The First week of the summer flew by, Harry spent most of it on his own, reading through books, although he did do something new, for him at least, he joined Olivia, probably his best friend in his year at her house in County Cork, before watching the Ireland vs. Peru world cup play off. Whilst Harry rather fancied himself to be a genius at Quidditch tactics, and had watched a couple of matches between professional league teams, the Irish internationals were in a league of their own.

The match had Harry on his feet from the first time he heard the Commentator announce "_And For Ireland, Give a big hand for Ryan, Quigley, Connolly, Troy, Mullet, Moran aaaaaannnnndddd Lynch!" _The Irish chasers had moved as a single fluid unit, constantly adapting and playing outside of set Quidditch parameters Harry had always considered absolute.

When Harry returned from the match and bid goodbye to Olivia, it was to return to a somewhat tense house. As soon as he stepped out of the floo, he sensed that there was something up, he left the entrance room and quickly made his way to the Sitting Room. Miranda sat there, her hair was done up in its professional work bun and she had discarded her robe, wearing just a white blouse and grey trousers.

She looked up at him, and Harry was surprised to see an element of fear in her eyes. He opened his mouth to ask what the matter was, but before he could speak she gestured to the coffee table, Harry glanced at it and saw a plain white envelope on the table. It was addressed to him, but it was clear that Miranda had opened it already, Not that he minded, the blonde liked to imagine herself to be in control of her house, and Harry had learned to simply go along with some of her whims.

Picking up the offending envelope, he examined it. The address was writing in elegant sloping calligraphy with black ink. Harry carefully pulled out the letter, which was written on expensive and starched parchment and began to read.

_My Dear Harry,_

_I trust you are well, and that you have enjoyed the fresh air away from Dumbledore's meddling control. I have recently arrived back in England from Albania where I understand my other half currently resides. It was a fool's errand I am afraid however I have plenty of time on my hands so am not in the least concerned. _

_I read in the paper about your father, I am sure you are most excited, however I must ask you not to look for your father. I have plans for you, and I will not risk having one of my most useful assets arrested at this delicate stage. We will discuss this in greater detail on Thursday. I will be joining you and Miss Rookwood for an informal Dinner at your residence along with one of my followers at eight o'clock sharp where we will discuss the future at length. _

_Do not reply to this message_

_Your friend and Master_

_Tom. M. Riddle._

Harry read the letter several times. It was certainly not what he had expected from Riddle, the young dark lord had indicated that he would allow Harry to continue with his life unimpeded for the last two years of his education. However clearly that was to change. He looked up at Miranda who had lost the nervous look from her face and had now replaced it with a look of calm detachment.

"So" Harry said, not sure how to continue he fell silent, the silence between them deafening.

"Well Harry, this is a rare event, It's not often you have the most powerful dark wizard for hundreds of years joining you for Dinner." Miranda said, her tone indicating her sarcastic amusement.

"For what it is worth, he is only sixteen, younger than you." Miranda looked at him with her eyebrow elegantly raised.

"Point taken, I'm sorry, dark wizard. Dinner. Very serious." Harry said, his smirk returning with full force. Miranda nodded quickly.

"Well, we have two days to prepare for this, who do you suppose he means by '_a follower'?" _Harry shrugged,

"Probably Lucius Malfoy, Riddle told me that the diary was in Lucius' possession before he gave it to Weasely."

"Well, we had best do some preparation." The fanatical gleam in the gorgeous blonde's eye had Harry more than a little concerned.

Thursday evening finally arrived. Harry and Miranda had cleared their house and cleaned it to perfection, as well as loaning two additional house elves to ensure everything ran smoothly, Minnie had been very disgruntled by the new elves, perceiving it as an insult that her quality of work was not good enough.

Dressed in a tight fitting light blue shirt and black trousers with a dark grey robe over the top, Harry felt that he had stressed the informal nature of the meal highly, but thought that if his guess was correct and Lucius Malfoy were to be joining them, his dress code was appropriate. Miranda had her Golden blonde hair elegantly arranged, with a pale blue dress robe accentuating her eyes wonderfully.

Sat in the living room, the two teens were nervous, Harry caught Miranda's eye and had to stifle a chuckle, he quickly failed and soon the two of them were laughing together, the ridiculousness of hosting a dinner party for the dark lord having finally struck them.

As the clock struck the eighth chime on the hour there came a knock from the door. They heard Minnie open it and offer to take coats. Harry and Miranda stood and he gave her a confident smile which she returned. He clamped down his Occlumency shields and felt his emotions leave him.

His assumption had been correct, Tom and Lucius entered the room together, Harry noted with a wry smile that his assumption about the elder Malfoy's wardrobe had been correct, the man wouldn't look out of place at a formal ball. Tom however was more understated, a blood red shirt, black trousers and a black robe, his outfit screamed understated wealth and elegance.

Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he saw Miranda give shiver ever so slightly at the dark look in Riddles eyes. He looked like a predator, and Harry wasn't sure what his prey was, it didn't appear to be either him or Miranda.

"Harry, you look well." Riddle said stepping forward with a small smirk. Harry took the proffered hand and shook it firmly, keeping his own face carefully neutral.

"Good evening Tom, welcome to our home, please allow me to introduce you to my girlfriend, Miranda Rookwood." Harry noted with a vicious sense of satisfaction Lucius Malfoy recoil at Harry's use of the dark Lord's given name.

"Miss Rookwood, a rare pleasure." Riddle said charmingly, brushing his lips over Miranda's knuckles. "Harry, Miss Rookwood, have you met Lucius Malfoy?" Harry shook Malfoy's hand and gave a small bow, whilst Lucius gave a nod of his head.

"Would either of you be interested in a drink?" Miranda asked, easily slipping into the role of hostess.

"If there was a chance of a glass of red wine…" Riddle asked charmingly, immediately one of the hired elves, Moby, appeared with a bottle in his hands, Riddle examined it with a critical eye before nodding, "1973 Chateau Bergerac, I am impressed, please don't tell me you bought this for me, it's always been my favourite vineyard." His tone was light and teasing, but Harry could always see the cruelty and vicious edge lurking beneath the surface, Harry found himself drawn to it, wishing the more malevolent side of the sixteen year old wizard before him would show itself.

"Mister Malfoy? A drink for you?" Harry asked, his voice, like Riddles contained just a hint of mockery, but not enough that anyone could call him on it.

"Whiskey and Soda." The elder politician requested curtly, his drink quickly appearing by House elf.

The four sat down and there was a moment of silence, before Tom turned to Miranda, his charming smile returning in full effect,

"So, I understand you have graduated Hogwarts, and now work for the ministry?" he asked, Miranda nodded her head politely,

"Your information is correct, I now work for the Department of Experimental charms, but I have intentions of transferring soon to the DMLE." Miranda's voice sounded perfectly confident, but Harry knew her well enough to sense the underlying tones of fear in her voice, she had evidently seen in Riddle the same thing as Harry.

"Indeed? Well if Ministry bureaucracy is the same as it was in my day, any department change takes months of paperwork!" He gave a short laugh, and the others joined in softly, Riddle then continued "However, Lucius has many contacts at the Ministry, I am sure he could manage something." Lucius shifted imperceptibly at the mention of his name.

"Of course My Lord, I could easily hurry such a move." He said with a forced smile.

"Excellent, well shall we have dinner, I for one am absolutely famished!" He smiled widely and Harry chuckled in response, before standing. Lucius and Tom led the way to the dining room, and Harry and Miranda looked at one another. They exchanged a quick look, this meeting, polite and cordial as it seemed was in reality anything but, and the room was steeped in tension, Harry knew that Riddle knew this, and from the look in the Dark Lords eye, it was clear he relished the fear that he invoked.

The meal got underway, the elves had worked perfectly, whilst the meal was being served, conversation remained on safe topics, Harry's education, Lucius's business interests, how Miranda was finding work at the ministry. But as the final bowls were cleared away, talk took on a far more serious note.

They were sat around the dining room table, Harry next to Lucius, Tom next to Miranda, there was silence whilst the elves offered around Port and cigars, which they each accepted, except Miranda, who declined the cigar.

"Harry, I have been speaking to Lucius at length on the topic of your father." Harry nodded at Tom, and gestured for him to continue. "Now, until I have combined with my other self, I do not have the memories of my elder self, therefore I cannot say whether or not James Potter acted upon my orders or not." He inhaled from his cigar and exhaled a deep breath of the pleasant smoke.

"However, Lucius is quite insistent that James Potter was not among my army of loyal soldiers. However, as I am given to understand that Potter sr. was in Dumbledore's little vigilante group, _the order of the phoenix_" he snorted softly at the name "It is quite possible that James Potter's name was never brought up at meetings to ensure his cover remained intact." Harry nodded, this all made sense to him so far.

"So, my father's loyalty to you is sceptical at best." Harry stated, and Riddle gave a short laugh,

"Exactly, therefore, if you should uh, stumble upon your dear daddy during his escape, I would prefer if you were not to embrace him too quickly." Despite the mild manner in which Harry was told this, it was extremely clear that this was a command.

"Of course, I would hardly incriminate myself on a whim though Tom." Lucius scowled again, and Riddle, evidently aware of the game Harry was playing with the elder statesman smirked.

"Now onto the main reason as to why I came here tonight, except of course to meet the lovely and oh so beautiful Miss Miranda Rookwood." He placed his hand delicately on her own, before removing it. Miranda gave a polite smile and bowed her head graciously.

"It has come to my attention that Neville Longbottom was able to defeat me thirteen years ago, due to a protective blood magic spell. His mother sacrificed herself to offer her only son protection from me. To my frustration, this protective magic still flows in young Neville's blood." He gave a small laugh, and his eyes burned with an intense fire, Harry was hooked on his words. Riddle spoke in a way that truly captivated the room, his voice was deep, smooth and rich, his hands gestured slightly; the young Dark Lord was a master at keeping the attention of a room.

"In what turns out to be a happy turn of fate, the ritual required to recombine the two versions of myself requires blood from an enemy, which will then flow in my veins." Riddle paused at Harry's expression, "I plan to use Longbottoms fresh blood, which means that until further notice, your instructions are to keep Longbottom alive."

"Understood, and I assume you are talking of the ritual of Bowmont? It hasn't been performed for half a millennium?" Riddle shrugged his shoulders in a display of careless elegance, "It would recombine a shattered soul into one body, I assume you will retain your current body?" Riddle nodded, "blood of the enemy, Will of the vanquished, Spirit of the Subjugated, a difficult combination of ingredients to gain, I never understood how to take someone's will or spirit, but I will leave that bit to you." Riddle smirked broadly,

"I am impressed, I did not discover the ritual of Bowmont until my sixth year." Harry shrugged, "Did you find it in _Rituals of the Arcane_?" Riddle asked, his lips dancing in a smirk,

"_Ancient magic's and cultures" _Harry said, a small smile around his mouth.

Miranda was terrified, not that she would ever admit it to anyone, she even had a hard time admitting it to herself. Whilst Riddle had been nothing but the epitome of polite charm, she could sense in her the same malevolent will that she often sensed in Harry, and knew existed in herself. However whilst Harry's darker urges were often concealed behind his many other feelings, Miranda doubted Riddle had any urges that were not cruel, oppressive or callously uncaring.

She knew Harry was feeling the same thing, but whilst Miranda had opted to hide her fear behind a wall of manners and demure correctness, Harry appeared to have released his own inner malice, relishing the power that was the Dark Lord.

If Miranda were not currently at a dinner party with the most powerful politician in Britain and the Dark Lord, she would have rolled her eyes, her boyfriend was currently engaged in what could only be described as a _'lively'_ debate with Riddle over the finer points of magic.

Miranda had always known Harry was a brilliant student, but listening to the two men discuss the theory of advanced sentient non-sentient transfiguration application had amazed her, the two were discussing magic so complex that she didn't understand the exact topic, from the uncomfortable look on Lucius Malfoy's face, it was clear he was in a similar situation.

"Yes, yes, I am perfectly aware of Arinbad's fifth law!" Harry was saying, his eyes alight, "But whatever the man claims, transfiguring a dog, say, into a human would not result in something with near human intelligence." Riddle shook his head, and Miranda was surprised to see that the cruel look in them had gone, replaced instead by an excited frown.

"No, no, I do not mean that a transfigured dog would be as intelligent as the caster, but it would have the intelligent mind of the species." Harry frowned at Riddle,

"Well that's absurd." Lucius paled dramatically at Harry's words, but Riddle didn't change his facial expression, "Consider this, If I were to transfigure you into a dog, you would retain your memories, your knowledge, that is a well-documented fact, therefore, I declare that Arinbad's law was wrong, I would declare that the reverse would be true. The dog would be a dog's brain in a human body, and no amount of training would change this!" Riddle sighed and the argument continued.

Both men had long abandoned their drinks, so caught up as they were in the academic argument, however as the clock chimed midnight, Riddle slowly began to wind down his argument, the excitement leaving his eyes, and cold appraisal replacing it. He stood up, and Miranda, her leg's stiff hurried to imitate, as did Harry and Lucius.

"Harry, Miranda… I may call you Miranda?" Miranda nodded and Riddle smiled, "Miranda, I thank you for a delicious meal, and some wonderful conversation, Miss Rookwood, Miranda, I apologise that we simply spoke academics, I trust you weren't too bored!" He laughed, the sound high and cold, and Miranda felt the hair on her neck rise in apprehension, even as she smiled graciously.

"Do not fear Miss Rookwood, I will soon have command of my old strength, and my old army, and when that occurs, I will return your father to you, I am sure he will be very impressed by the woman his daughter has become." He gave Harry a final nod, and then left with the Malfoy patriarch.

Miranda waited a few minutes after they had left, before sliding down the wall, she gripped her arms tightly as a sob shook her, never before had she felt so vulnerable. The man was a power, and whilst Miranda respected that greatly, she was simply unable to bear such a concentrated dose of the man's strength for such a long evening.

Dimly she felt Harry slide down the wall next to her and grip her shaking shoulders, he held her tightly against his chest, and held her for over an hour until she eventually recovered. She moved to push away from him, but he resisted, instead picking her up and carrying her to their room.

She sat on the edge of the bed, enjoying the feeling of Harry slowly running her brush through her long hair as he brushed out the intricate designs. She fell asleep that night dreaming of cruel eyes and high pitched laughter.

The rest of the summer passed in a much more subdued manner, true to his word, Lucius had managed to rush Miranda's paperwork, and in less than a week the Blonde was reassigned to a managerial position overseeing the budgeting for the department. Miranda was certain that it was only thanks to Lucius's influence that she received such an important role, but was Happy, and enjoyed her new work colleagues.

Around the end of July, Harry received a pleasant surprise in the form of his OWL results, they were certainly what he had hoped for, O's in everything except astronomy, where he received an E. The results were accompanied by a note from Professor Snape expressing his disappointment and stating that it was expected that Harry improve in the future, Harry gave a soft snort at the standards of his head of house.

Harry had spent most of the summer reading up on the Dark Arts. Whilst he couldn't practice the spells, he memorised wand movements and incantations. Due to the shady nature of the work he was doing, Harry had become a regular down Knockturn Alley. Despite the street's rather unpleasant reputation, and frankly terrible maintenance, Harry had come to rather enjoy walking the dark and dilapidated area. There was a camaraderie amongst the inhabitants, they all knew they were on the wrong side of the law, and despite coming from the dregs of society, many of them were proud of the living they scratched.

In this way, Harry whiled away the months of summer, there continued to be rumours about his father, and many of the papers and gossip rags spread stories about how James Potter was behind the spate of disappearances that had recently sprung up. Hestia Jones, Mundungus Fletcher and Sturgis Podmoore had all vanished without trace in the past two months. As August faded into September, Harry found himself once again at Platform 9 ¾'.s. He stood opposite Miranda who had taken the day of work.

She gave Harry a tender smile as he held her hand. "Do try to avoid any more life changing decisions this year Harry, or at least before Christmas. I do like a quiet life secretly." Harry gave her a smile and gently brushed his hand against her cheek, she leaned into the caress and he captured her lips for a final time before he left.

"Having fun Potter?!" Harry quickly pulled away from Miranda and turned to see Marcus and Terrence grinning behind him, Olivia next to them and rolling her eyes.

"Good morning boys, Olivia." Miranda greeted, her face and tone once again cold and aloof,

"Good Morning Miranda," said Olivia politely, whilst the two boy's merely shuffled their feet and looked uncomfortable.

"You better board the train Harry, it leaves in a couple of minutes." Miranda said, Harry gave her a last smile, pecked her lips and then left to grab a carriage.

When they sat down he saw Marcus open his mouth and glared "Don't even bother Flint, or I swear I will hex you."

Marcus shut his mouth. Wisely.

The train set off and soon the four were joined by the rest of their normal gang, Clara, Graham and Charles all arrived at once, and they sat down for the long journey.

It was around five in the evening when the train stopped. It was evident that they hadn't finished their journey but nevertheless the train had ground to a dead halt.

"What's going on?" Clara murmured sleepily, raising her head from Terrence's shoulder, Marcus gave a confused shrug, Clara groaned and went back to sleep. Harry and Olivia paused their game of Chess and watched as Charles stuck his head out the compartment door.

"No one's out there, I don't know what's going on." He replied, his hair all over the place from his awkward sleeping position.

"It looks like people are coming aboard." Graham muttered, his eyes on the frosted window. Harry frowned and peered out as well, Graham was right, tall hooded figures were indeed making their way onto the train.

They sat back, and waited for the unexpected passengers to all get on, when suddenly the lights went out. Marcus and Charles, who already had their wands out quickly cast _lumos_ spells, whilst Harry conjured a glowing ball of white light. Marcus gave a good natured grumble of "show-off" but settled back as well.

They had been waiting only a few minutes when they felt it. Ice cold air seemed to have permeated the compartment, and their breath came out in visible puffs of mist. Harry suddenly felt something tug at his Occlumency shields, and he reinforced them quickly, whatever it was however managed to batter the mental shields away after twenty seconds of trying and Harry soon felt terrible.

The feeling grew worse, until suddenly he spotted a grey hand, made of what appeared to be rotten flesh pull the door to the compartment open. Whatever it was, it was eight feet tall at least, clad in a dark black cloak that concealed its face, it seemed to absorb light. It took a deep long rattling breath and turned to face the occupants of the carriage.

Every bad memory he had, from his time at the orphanage, to the loneliness and cruelty he had experienced as a first year fell upon him. Harry was suddenly besieged by a new memory, a memory that he didn't remember at all,

_A beautiful woman with red hair and bright green eyes was holding a toddler tightly, she was crying, rocking backwards and forwards on her feet, outside the windows of the small room she was in Harry could see a mob of wizards shouting and casting ward dispelling curses at the house. The woman gave a loud cry as the wards shattered. _

_She ran out of the room, sobs wracking her delicate frame and clutching the small toddler to her tightly. She reached what seemed to be a sitting room and hurried over to a fire. Before she reached it however a blue jet of light struck her leg and she crumpled with a scream as the bone shattered. _

_The pot she was holding fell from her grip and floo powder spilled all over the floor. She wept harder, as she hurried to collect the silver/grey powder in her hands. She took the boy in her arms again, and dragged herself over to the fire. _

"_You are so loved Harry" she said, despite her pain and tears her voice was soft "so loved." She put the baby in the unlit fire and threw in the floo powder._

"_Hogwarts!" she shouted. Just before the young toddler vanished, Harry saw a purple flash of light hit the woman on the back, and she screamed, a deep wound bisecting her back, she fell again, a spray of crimson blood hitting the boy on the face, milliseconds before he was whisked away in a flash of Emerald Green Light._

"Harry! Harry!" came a voice, Harry blinked, he was still sat in his chair, fists clenched painfully on his knees, and the thing.

"I'm okay." He replied, his voice remarkably steady considering what he had just seen.

"What was that thing?" Olivia asked from the spot beside him, Harry looked at her, her eyes were wide and she was clearly terrified,

"It was a Dementor, one of the Azkaban guards, no doubt checking the train for my father." Harry heard a horrified gasp from the door and looked up to see a man looking into their compartment.

He was young, Harry would guess mid-thirties, with wavy shoulder length black hair, and a handsome face. "_Your Father?" _he asked "They are looking for James Potter."

Harry gazed at the man with cold eyes, "Like I said. My father."

The man took a hurried step back. "Harry Potter?" he asked, his voice breathy and near a whisper, Harry gave a curt nod, and the handsome man looked horrified. He spluttered something before quickly running down the length of the train.

* * *

**What do you think? I put in the whole scene with Lily, because I thought it would be a nice little expansion of what was otherwise glossed over in the first chapter, coming up: Sirius, Lupin and Harry all meet, with the problems of an escaped convict looming over them!**

**Please review, much love**

**Marshall Angmar**


	12. Chapter 11

**Dear All. **

**I suppose I should start off with a massive apology for this slow update, It wasn't what I wanted but merely a fact that I have been away for a night and couldn't update in time.**

**Now then, I regret to say that from now on I think I will update only twice a week, rather than daily. This is due to a request from my beta, John Foxton, who has constantly been on my back over the crazy schedule, but somehow (and this deserves real praise) manages to correct my chapters and get them back to me within hours of having sent them off! he is a real trooper!**

**I will say the usual thank you to my reviewers, they are truly amazing to read and never cease to make my day. So if you want to make an exhausted students day, please leave your thoughts in a review!**

**without any further ado, **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 11

"… And following that delicious feast, I hope you will all take a few minutes to listen to an old man." Dumbledore said, his bright blue eyes twinkling. Harry was sat back in his seat, his stomach felt inordinately full and all he fancied was curling up in his four poster and trying to forget about the whole Dementor Incident.

"First off, I feel I have to inform you that the list of banned objects in Hogwarts has increased yet again, and now includes _Dive bombing Darts, Singing Snails _and the eloquently titled _Bang Bang Basher. _The full list is on Mr Filch's door, and can be viewed at any student's pleasure." Dumbledore gave a small smile, and paused taking a sip of water.

"It is also my great pleasure to welcome to the school three new teachers, first of all, Let's hear a big hand for Professor Hagrid, who will be nobly filling in for Professor Kettleburn as care of Magical creatures teacher., who is sadly retiring." The Gryffindor's gave a mighty cheer and standing ovation. The Ravenclaws and Slytherins looked put out, the half giant's penchant for vicious creatures was well known.

"In addition, following last year's rather uh, lacklustre defence instruction, the governors and I have decided to try a new system, For NEWT students, please welcome Professor Black, and for fifth years and below, Please Welcome Professor Lupin." Harry saw the man from the train wave, Professor Black, whilst another man who looked exhausted and wore rather shabby robes sat next to him, Professor Lupin.

"Finally, due to the situation of a certain escaped criminal, Hogwarts will be playing host to a number of Dementors of Azkaban. These are not creatures to be trifled with, they know not fear, pain or mercy, I urge each of you to stay away from them wherever possible." He paused and looked around the hall, his expression grave.

"Whilst this criminal is on the loose, I expect this school to remain vigilant, however, should anyone be persecuted for being perceived as potentially aiding Mr James Potter, their persecutors will be punished severely." His eyes flickered to the Gryffindor table, where several students had been throwing Harry dirty looks. "Now I believe that is all the announcements for today, off to bed."

The first week passed quickly, Harry was not pleased by the new found hostility he experienced from the rest of the non Slytherins. Wherever he went whispers followed, and younger students would clear the hall where he walked.

So far nobody had attempted to harm him, thanks to his reputation as a prodigy in all wand magic's and duelling, but Harry believed that his reputation would not protect him forever. His frustration at his treatment was not doing wonders for his mood. A scowl was often to be seen on his face, and he frequently snarled out at students who came close.

The other rather annoying facet of his new year was Professor Sirius Black. Sixth year Defence against the Dark Arts was predominantly practical, learning duelling techniques and the like. The new teacher was like a reverse of Snape, showing blatant favouritism to the Gryffindor's and he seemed to have a grudge against Harry from the first.

"Welcome sixth years." He had begun, before taking a register. When he got to Harry's name, he had looked at him with a glare, before continuing.

"As you know, there is a vicious criminal on the loose." He had begun, lecturing from the front, "this man is cold blooded, and would have trouble in betraying his friends and family for power." He looked coldly at Harry as he spoke, clearly hoping for a reaction, but thanks to his Occlumency shields, Harry kept his face carefully blank.

"This year you will be learning advanced techniques of defence, putting together the spell knowledge you already have in ways that will give you advantages in an actual fight." He looked around, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"Now then, can anyone cast silently?" he looked hopefully, no one raised their hands, Harry kept his down too. "Pity, well in that case, we shall start there. Stand up, wands out!"

They spent the rest of the session practicing silent casting, and by the end of the class nobody had managed it. Professor Black seemed relaxed about the failure though.

"Practice it for homework, I'm sure you'll have it soon, not to worry!"

After defence Harry had transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs. He sat in his usual seat next to Cedric, and the two boys took careful notes on Inanimate-organic animate transfiguration. Harry sighed, he had been proficient at this skill since his fourth year.

"I will give you all a lump of granite, you have the rest of the session to transfigure it into a cat." McGonagall announced, dispersing the rock with a wave of her wand. Harry sat back, watching the rest of the class, none of them seemed able to get it, and McGonagall was going around offering suggestions and advice.

Next to him, Harry saw Cedric glaring at his rock intensely, "Mutare!" he cried, a bright jet of blue light left his wand and struck the rock.

Nothing happened.

The flash had caught McGonagall's attention, and she made her way over to their desk.

"Show me again Mr Diggory if you please." She asked, Cedric cast the spell again and the Professor hummed.

"You're pronunciation and wand movement are perfect, the fault therefore lies in your intent, you must visualise the transformation and will it into being." The Scottish woman lectured, her voice kind, she then turned to Harry, who gave her a charming smile.

"Mr Potter, why are you not attempting the spell?" she asked, but the fond smile she wore ruined any other feeling she was trying to convey.

"I must confess Professor, I taught myself this part of the course in my fourth year." Harry said with a humble shrug of his shoulders, McGonagall looked shocked.

"In you fourth year?" she shook her head, "Once again you surprise me, you truly are one of the most skilled practitioners of transfiguration I have ever taught." Harry ducked his head in a show of humility. "Please show me your transfiguration." Harry nodded and a careless wave of his wand later, a large tom cat sat on his desk.

"Marvellous, excellent detailing, the fur feels real, and oh my, it purrs, truly magnificent. Ten points!" Harry smiled gratefully.

"What level are you at Harry?" the aged professor asked, instead of replying, Harry merely waved his wand again, saying nothing, everyone in the room's granite suddenly became a perfect cat.

"_Show off_!" Cedric Muttered, Harry merely grinned at him. Before flicking his wand and wand and transfiguring the tom cat on his desk into a full sized lion.

"Bravo! Bravo!" McGonagall called out, her eyes excited. Harry had always been one of her best students, and she had developed a soft spot for him over the years. The rest of the class past quickly, with a bit of help from Harry Cedric soon mastered the spell, and earned Hufflepuff points.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

The weeks rolled by with little drama, people continued to avoid Harry, but after hospitalising two Gryffindor fifth years with a subtle trauma curse, no one seemed willing to get on Harry's bad side. Harry therefore set his mind to the Quidditch season, he was frustrated because Draco had gone and got himself injured by a rogue Hippogriff, Harry was only minorly mollified when he learnt Draco's father intended the have the creature which interfered which his Quidditch schedule executed.

On the seventh of October Harry called together his first Quidditch practice of the year. It was an unseasonably warm day and there was not a cloud in the sky. Harry surveyed his seven players, exactly the same team as it had been the year before and gave a brief smile.

"Seven Years gentlemen, Lady." He announced, "Slytherin has held the Quidditch cup for seven whole years, a feat which I think will not be repeated for many decades!" He clapped his hands together, and straightened his back.

"Today, as Draco hasn't fully recovered yet, we will merely be practicing basic drills and moves. Everyone on brooms, you know the drill, you have ten minutes to warm up. GO!" He shouted the last bit and the seven green clad players kicked off. Harry watched the fly, he was pleased to see they all looked just as good as they had the year before.

Draco was still a little uncomfortable using his right arm, but Harry hoped that he would recover soon, else he would need a new seeker.

With a thought of _Sonorous_ Harry's voice became magically amplified. "Alright. All of you to get to the East set of posts." Harry had the team practice some basic passing drills, beaters and seekers included with the Quaffell, before making things a little more difficult.

"Marcus, Run Opposition, rest of you carry on." The team were playing well Harry noted, whilst the drills were still extremely easy and basic, the fluidity and ease with which the team moved around the pitch gave him hope.

"Derrick, Bole, grab bats." He released a lone bludger and had the two beaters rally it between them. He kept the game going for fifteen minutes before grinning.

"Get down here!" he yelled. "Alright, good practice, it was nothing special, just a warm up, I expect you all here for next practice, which is…" he consulted his journal "Thursday at four. Well played, go shower and change. See you in the common room."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Despite Harry's best hopes, Draco's arm didn't recover fully in time for the match with Gryffindor, but he was able to successfully negotiate with Cedric to switch the Hufflepuff – Slytherin match with his own. This it turned out was a good move.

The weather had turned foul during the match, Heavy rain lashed down and the visibility was awful. Hufflepuff were good, Harry thought, but Gryffindor were better, as the match approached the thirty minute mark, the score was 80 – 50 in Gryffindor's favour.

Suddenly, Harry felt an awfully familiar sense of cold descend upon him, it was like ice within his very bones. His Occlumency shields suddenly came under aggressive attack, but Harry knew what to expect this time, and through great effort managed to defend his mind. His vision blurred from the effort he was putting in, but he saw dozens of tall black shapes gliding onto the pitch.

His concentration was almost broken when he heard a scream from nearby, he looked up and just made out the figure of Longbottom falling to the earth, remembering Tom's instruction, Harry whipped out his wand and caught the boy with a feather weight charm, causing the boy to slow his descent and float gently through the air.

With another lazy flick of his wand, he banished the floating Longbottom towards the teacher's stands, where he landed on Professor Black with a crash.

After the excitement of the match, Harry made his way to the Library, he was disturbed by the way the Dementors affected him, and he vowed to learn to defend against them. However, after reading through half a dozen tomes, he had learnt only that it was bloody difficult to do so.

_The Dementor is a near immortal creature, they are intelligent, fast and invisible creature. No Spell or curse is known to kill it, although they can feel pain if burnt._

One book had mentioned, whilst another suggested they were impervious to all forms of pain. The only thing he learnt that was useful in his opinion was that there was a charm, the Patronus Charm, which was said to repel the monsters.

Therefore that evening Harry found himself outside Professor Flitwick's office. He knocked and entered the small room.

"Good evening Mr Potter, How may I help you?" the small wizard asked kindly.

"Good Evening Professor. I know that your time is valuable, however I have read about a rather advanced charm and hoped for some assistance with it." He said a charming smile on his face, the charms instructor beamed, Harry was his best student, and Filius Flitwick enjoyed helping students with their academic struggles.

"Of course Mr Potter, It must be very complex if _you_ are struggling!"

"Well, it may not be complex at all, it is simply that I can find little information on it." Harry said with a grin, "The spell is the Patronus charm, and all I know of it is its name I am afraid." Professor Flitwick gave a deep nod, sighed, before indicating for Harry to take a seat in one of the available chairs.

"I do indeed know of the Patronus charm, as I am sure you are aware, it is used for repelling Dementors and is one of the hardest charms to fully master that I know of." He stood up and walked over to one of the bookshelves.

"If nearly any other student were to come and request my assistance I would say they stood no chance of ever mastering the charm, but I believe you can do it Mr Potter, I truly do." Harry smiled appreciatively and allowed a small flush to appear on his cheeks.

"Don't be so modest Harry, you're without a doubt the best student I have taught in many decades, I wouldn't be surprised if you gave the headmaster a run for his money when he was your age!" Harry's flush this time was not faked.

"Ah, now, here we are, the Patronus charm." He handed the heavy book to Harry who saw an image of a Silver Swan bursting from a wand and driving Dementors away.

"The incantation is _Expecto Patronum _and requires for the caster to focus strongly on positive emotions, The Dementor feeds off your negative emotions and feelings, the Patronus acts as a shield of positive thoughts. A master of the charm can drive the Dementors away by creating a _Corporeal _Patronus, which takes on the image of an animal."

"Expecto Patronum?" Harry asked

"Exactly, the wand movement doesn't matter, but you must focus your intent. Think of your happiest memory and use it to fuel your spells." Harry nodded,

"So it is the opposite of Dark Spells? Which are fuelled by negative emotions?" Flitwick looked at him oddly, and Harry realised his slip.

"That is correct I suppose Harry, do you want to give the charm a try now?" Flitwick asked, although his expression was still troubled. Harry nodded and drew his wand.

"Positive thoughts Harry, Positive memories." Harry thought back, he discarded his life before Hogwarts, there was little happiness there, and he discarded memories such as his first Quidditch victory, he contemplated the time he had won captured the stone, but realised that was malevolent joy, rather than pure happiness.

Eventually he decided upon the time he and Miranda had gone to Edinburgh, and both had tried their hand at the local Kaylee he remembered the look on her face as they reeled around the street. He felt a grin cross his features, and forced his emotions to mingle with his magic, as he did when casting dark magic.

_Expecto Patronum! _He thought, a silver mist shot from his wand and formed a round shield in front of him. He frowned, and forced more magic through his wand, the mist remained hazy and indistinct, so he tried putting more emotion behind the spell. He used his Occlumency to replay the memory in his head, forcing the emotion from it into his wand.

Before his eyes the mist coalesced into a more solid shape. It wasn't the animal he had hoped for, but it had formed a more solid barrier. He released the spell, and rubbed his hand across his brow, upset to discover a sheen of sweat. He had to work on magical endurance.

Flitwick was clapping beside him, "Excellent, Excellent… that was an incredible first effort, well done!" Harry nodded

"I don't know what I did wrong Professor, I put a lot of power into it, and I used the emotion in the correct way, mixing it with my magic and sending both through my wand…" He suppressed his feelings of frustration, and looked at the diminutive professor.

"Harry. That is not the correct way to use the emotion." Flitwick said cautiously, Harry looked at him puzzled.

"That's not true is it Professor, all the book's I've read state that emotion must be used in that way." Flitwick wrung his hands before him.

"Harry, that is the correct way to funnel the emotion for dark spells." Harry blinked, "but not for this spell."

"Professor…" Harry began, but Flitwick waved him away.

"Don't worry Harry, I know about the sorts of pressure you must be under, and I am not concerned, regular practitioners of Dark Magic become corrupted by it, it can be addictive, and the feeling of power that comes with practicing the spells. I think we all experiment at one stage of our careers." Harry looked at the man shocked.

"Don't look so surprised!" Flitwick said with a jovial grin, "I thought that it would give me an edge on the duelling circuits." Harry nodded with a cheeky grin.

"I will not tell you what you should and should not do Harry, you are obviously a brilliant student. But be careful, Dark Magic is fun until it controls you, twists you into a bitter and violent shell of what you once were." Harry repressed his emotions, and instead nodded slowly.

"Now, for the Patronus charm, the emotion and magic must be separate." He looked at Harry curiously, "Do you know Occlumency Harry?" Harry gave a nod and Flitwick laughed, "yet again, you know magic the ministry would really rather you didn't!" Harry gave a grin and the small professor continued.

"Use the positive feelings like you would use Occlumency if you were a beginner. Let it fill your mind, leaving no bad thoughts available for the Dementor to feed upon, then cast the spell, try again."

Harry did as he was bid, he brought up the memory, drew his wand and with a vicious flick cast the spell, this time, there was no mist, instead a bright white flash filled the room, and coalesced into a very solid looking shield.

"Excellent Harry, Excellent!" called the charms professor, and Harry ended the spell, taking a deep breath.

"Now, You have the theory, and clearly are already far more proficient than most people who know the spell, all I can suggest is practice. Now I believe it is nearly curfew. You should get to bed Harry. Now, take twenty points to Slytherin, and please think on what I said Harry, these things must be done in moderation." Harry nodded and shook the professor's hand.

"Thank you Professor Flitwick sir, I will be careful." Flitwick sighed sadly and dismissed him.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

Harry was awoken that night by one of the third years. "Professor Snape want's everyone in the Common room right away, he seems really angry!" Harry groaned and quickly slipped on a black jumper and dark grey trousers. He pinned his prefect badge on and walked down to the common room.

Most of the house had already been gathered. Professor Snape stood at the front of the room looking extremely grave. Harry quickly sat down in one of the chairs by the embers of the fire and looked at the clock. _What is so serious that they would wake us up at 12.30 in the morning? _He thought bitterly, thinking of how comfortable his bed had been.

"Slytherins, for the remainder of tonight you will all be sleeping in the great Hall." Murmurs of interest sounded around his room at this,

"Silence." Snape called and the room instantly quieted.

"This is because James Potter this evening was spotted trying to enter the Gryffindor Common Room. SILENCE!" Snape roared at the whispers his pronouncement created.

"Prefects will escort the house to the great hall at once. Any deviation, bad behaviour or failure to obey every instruction a prefect or member of staff gives will result in two months detention. Am I Understood?" Everyone nodded, and Snape gestured for the House to leave.

The great hall was full, the tables had vanished and instead there were rows of Sleeping bags on the floor, it appeared Slytherin was last to appear and they were left the patch of floor closest to the doors.

"Potter, with me." Professor Snape called, and Harry turned to his head of house. The potions master gestured for the two of them to leave the Great Hall.

"Potter, you will be accompanying me tonight. We are to search the Dungeons along with Mr Filch and Professor Sinistra."

"Professor? Are all the Prefects searching the school?" Harry asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.

Snape scowled at him, "No, However I hardly trust you to remain in here protected when your father is loose in the school, at least this way I can keep an eye on you." Harry flashed a grin but nodded.

"Very well, lead the way Professor." The two of them walked off, making their way down to the cold dungeons.

"I trust you have no intentions of finding your father alone Potter?" Snape asked,

"I would like to meet him at some point Sir," Harry replied, his voice cautious

"Azkaban changes men Potter, he may have gone in your father, but after 12 years in Azkaban, he will not be the same man." Harry looked at the Potions Master interested, and the greasy haired man expanded. "Continued exposure to the Dementors ruins the mind Potter, most of Azkaban's inmates go mad after a year or two."

Snape paused, pointing his wand into a storeroom and checking for anyone inside, it was empty and the two quickly left.

"Whilst Occlumency can keep you safe from their effects for a while, the strain of maintaining mental shields under attack for a long time will kill you quicker than starvation or dehydration, there is no defence Potter." The man gave Harry a piercing gaze.

"I do not tell you this to upset you Potter, just to drive it into your skull that the man who escaped that accursed prison is a bent and broken shell of a traitor." Harry nodded slowly,

"If he is as damaged as you think, how has he remained concealed for so long?" Harry asked, Snape looked down his hooked nose as a rat ran past his ankles,

"I would imagine that if you strip away all the kindness, the humanity from a man with formidable magical talent, the resultant being would be near unstoppable." Harry felt a deep sense of cold which had nothing to do with the chilly air of the dungeons.

The search continued for another couple of hours, before Harry and Professor Snape returned to the Great Hall. They were met there by the Headmaster, who peered at Harry carefully from behind his half-moon spectacles.

"Good Morning Severus, Harry, how went the search of the dungeons?"

"No sign." Snape answered and Dumbledore sighed,

"I am not surprised, I hardly expected him to linger." Snape quickly peered at Harry next to him,

"Headmaster, you will recollect the conversation we had before term began about appointing his best…"

"My beliefs have not changed Severus." Dumbledore said warningly.

"Of course not." Snape bit out. Dumbledore sighed,

"I do not think anybody who is in this castle would have helped James enter it." They were joined at that point by Black and Lupin. Black gave Harry his usual angry glare, whilst Lupin merely smiled pityingly at the sixth year.

"Headmaster, Sniv… Snape." Professor Black said in greeting, "Is it wise to have _Him_" he gestured to Harry, "in on this conversation." Dumbledore gave a small smile,

"Mr Potter has been helping Severus clear the dungeons." Dumbledore said calmly.

"Well those two clearly have Hogwarts best interests at heart." Sirius said sarcastically. Harry resisted the urge to glare, instead maintaining his neutral mask.

"I will say again, If I did not trust anyone in this castle to act in its best interest, I would remove that person without question." Dumbledore's voice radiated authority, Black was silenced, and Harry was reminded that behind his friendly exterior, Dumbledore was very much a powerful and experienced warlock.

"I will call off the search, I never expected it to work, Join your housemates Harry, good night." Recognising the dismissal, Harry made his way over to an empty sleeping bag, and with a flick of his wand transfigured it into a mattress and duvet, he heard Dumbledore chuckle behind him, before he lay down and closed his eyes.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

The next morning, the school got back into routine quickly, although to anyone who was paying attention it was clear that there was a great deal of fear throughout the student body. Most of the younger students had taken to wandering the castle in groups, something which Harry thought was ridiculous, how could ten first years have any chance of defeating a single determined wizard skilled in the dark arts?

Following the attempted break in by his father, Harry dived into the Dark Arts. He was careful not to practice to much lest the corruption Professor Flitwick had mentioned took him over, but it was difficult with each entrails expelling curse, blood boiler or dark cutting curse, Harry felt more and more powerful.

During one session in the dungeon classroom Harry called his practice room, he was discovered by none other than Professor Snape.

He had conjured a dozen dogs and had used a compulsion charm so they could run around, helping improve his aim.

He dodged and rolled as though avoiding incoming spell fire and cast spell after spell. _Diffindo, Reducto, ossus explodum, Corprohibus, uclcus oculus, Avada Kedavra! _

He stopped after the last spell, feeling the rush of power flow through him, and to his horror heard slow applause behind him. Harry turned slowly on the spot, a stunner and obliviation spell on the tip of his tongue.

"Most Impressive Potter." Snape had said, his voice mocking,

"Thank you professor." Harry had replied cautiously, wand still slightly at the ready.

"And may I compliment on your excellent use of wards protecting the door."

"clearly not excellent enough." Harry replied cheekily, Snape smirked,

"Indeed." They looked at each other for a moment before Snape began, "Potter, you will find that very little happens in my dungeons that I am not aware of. I know you have been practicing… questionable magic first with Miss Rookwood, and then alone." Harry frowned at this, but said nothing,

"I have done nothing about it because I know that the lures of such powers can be great, and that each man should have to teach himself the dangers." Harry felt a strong urge to roll his eyes.

"I am aware of the dangers Professor." He said slowly, Snape frowned at him

"And yet each night you spend several hours practicing dark spells." He took a slow breath, "I am concerned that you are starting to become affected." Harry chuckled,

"I am not Professor, I have been careful, my Occlumency will have protected your mind." Snape sneered at him,

"I am sure the Dark Lord thought much the same thing when he first started to use the Dark Arts intensively, and yet when he was defeated he was a psychopathic megalomaniac, hardly the charming political idealist of his youth." Harry frowned at that,

"What would you recommend?" he asked casually,

"Ideally, I would ask you to stop using Dark Magic, however I think we both know you would not listen, therefore, how about a compromise?" Harry gestured for the man to continue.

"I will teach you some dark magic, nothing obscure, once a week alone. In return, you are not to use dark spells outside our lessons unless absolutely necessary."

Harry considered it, Snape was rumoured to be a very powerful dark wizard, with a great repertoire and was even said to have created his own spells. Harry knew the value of knowing magic others didn't. It was a good deal, his head of house hadn't told him he couldn't practice other magics in the evening.

"Deal." He eventually said, and in the dim light it almost appeared that the potions instructor looked relieved.

"Excellent, I will see you the first week of term after Christmas." He turned and left, leaving Harry to clear up the blood stains and corpses that still littered the walls of his practice room.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPHP

As he got onto the train, Harry smiled, Miranda had taken a holiday from her work, and they were planning to go to Israel together to celebrate Christmas, Harry was in a jovial mood lately, the opportunity to leave the school for a month was something he was thoroughly looking forward to. As he stepped off the train, he considered that it would be very nice to get away from the glares and cruel remarks that his school mates had been subjecting him to since the news of his father's escape had surfaced.

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**There you are, please don't hate me when I say that the next update will either be tuesday or wednesday, depending on how busy I am, If I can update before then, well obviously I will.**

**Much Love**

**Marshall Angmar**


	13. Chapter 12

**Bienvenue! **

**Welcome to the penultimate chapter of the book that has been the cause of so much discussion (well a bit of discussion) the Prisoner of Azkaban!**

**This chapter is dedicated to the two lovely ladies who inspired this work, Olivia and Clara, who are like slave drivers behind me as I type, it's awful!**

**Anyway, I hope the delay wasn't too awful, I know John Foxton, the beta who bravely decided to venture into the quagmire that is my unmoderated writing, so thank you to him, Please check him out!**

**Anyhoo, here you go, chapter 12...**

* * *

Chapter 12

"_4.47 to Moscow will be departing in five minutes"_

Harry sat on the hard seat tiredly, though in relief the hard wood was a relief, he thought he had spent all of his first day back for Christmas on his feet. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him, however the fact that he had been queuing for quite so long was grating on the sixteen year olds nerves.

He was in the international portkey terminal in Dover. After having paid a substantial sum (not that it affected either of their bank accounts) Harry and Miranda were scheduled to depart for Tel Aviv international portkey station in just under 20 minutes. They had already been waiting for an hour, and Miranda was currently reading a book next to him, looking bored and frustrated with their progress.

"_4.47 to Moscow has departed, the next departure will be the 4.53 to Tokyo, departing in six minutes." _

Harry suppressed a groan, the hall he was in was large, easily the same size as the great hall in Hogwarts, and filled with files of hard wooden chairs. There were numerous Aurors covertly keeping track of everything that was happening.

Harry idly plucked at a loose thread on his jacket and tried a wandless non-verbal spell to fix the small tear. The thread wobbled slightly, but other than that nothing happened.

"_The 4.53 has left, the next departure is the 5.01 to Charleston, departing in eight minutes." _

Harry perked up a little, there's was the one after that, and Harry quickly nudged the blonde next to him, she looked at him tiredly, Harry pointed to the large board at the far end of the hall indicating which portkey left when.

"Finally, if I knew how hellish international travel was I would never have agreed to this ridiculous holiday in the first place, looking over Ministry Fund Request forms is more entertaining than this." Harry gave her a grin as he pulled her to her feet, she swotted his arm playfully.

"Have you ever been to the Middle East before?" Harry asked, Miranda shook her head but said nothing, Harry rolled his eyes, "I hope you're this talkative throughout the whole trip." Miranda gave him a good natured glare.

"_The 5.01 to Charleston has left, the next departure is the 5.05 to Tel Aviv, which leaves in four minutes." _

"Come on, we'd better Hurry!" Harry called, quickly making his way towards the departures area, Miranda sighed as she too hurried along, though still looking as dignified and elegant as ever.

They arrived at the portkey, and placed their hand on the six foot long piece of Rope. "Everyone holding on?" asked a bored looking assistant, there were around a dozen people crowded around the portkey, and they all replied in the affirmative.

"Excellent, well you are departing in 4, 3, 2, 1" Harry felt the jerk behind his navel of the portkey, and suddenly found himself swirling through the air.

Five minutes of stomach churning vortex travel and Harry landed. He was able to land on his feet, but a portly middle aged man next to him was less successful and collapsed onto his bottom. Everyone was looking extremely flustered, except Harry noticed, for Miranda. She looked just as refined as she had when they set off, without a hair out of place.

Harry looked disgruntled down at his own clothes, heavily rumpled and in need of a severe iron.

"The 7.05 arrival from Dover has arrived"

They had arrived in an almost identical terminal to the one they left, although this was far emptier and warmer. Harry and Miranda quickly made their way out of the terminal and found themselves in a busy street.

It was much hotter than London, Harry guessed it must have been around twenty degree's and he quickly shrugged off the thick winter jacket he had been wearing.

"It's incredible!" Harry murmured, as he looked up and down at the yellow stone buildings and highly decorated shop fronts. He looked at Miranda and smirked at the awed expression on her face.

The street was far longer than Diagon Alley, stretching as far as the eye could see, the shop fronts were gaudily decorated with bright flashing lights in Arabic, and meanwhile small stalls were set up all along the street selling all kinds of merchandise, from children's toy broomsticks to trays of sweets, street performers entertained avid audiences of small children with displays of magical manipulation, whilst bright fireworks were flying out of one man's jacket as he performed acrobatics for a crowd.

"What do you want to do first?" Harry asked, squinting his eye's against the evening sun, trying to take in the myriad sites. Miranda didn't answer for a while, Harry turned to face her, but she just grabbed him and gave him a long kiss.

"Thank you?" he asked unsure, she just gave him a smirk before dragging him into the nearest store.

The shop owner gave him a toothy grin and watched as the two of them perused the aisles. Harry quickly realised that the Israeli's had a far more liberal guide to acceptable magic's than England, books showing rather gruesome images were on some shelves, whilst another held daggers and axes.

"Vertendi Verbus Ingles" Harry whispered, and the unreadable script suddenly translated into English.

Harry picked out a book which looked interesting, _Magic's of the ancient past, _and was about to start reading when Miranda suddenly tugged him out of the shop.

"Come on, we can hardly spend all day in the first store we see, besides I would rather like to make it to our hotel before nightfall." Harry blinked at her authoritative tone, but allowed her to take the lead, he knew how to make sure he had an easy life.

The hotel was easy to find, being the largest building on the stretched up for several floors, and had a well-kept and clean exterior. Stepping through the doors, they immediately felt the effect of cooling charms, and Harry shivered slightly at the sudden change in temperature.

"Good Evening." Harry smiled at the man behind the desk, "We have a reservation under the name of Rookwood?" the man looked at them confused.

"Reservation?" Harry said slowly, and the man smiled,

"Ah, yes, Reservation… er… name please!" Harry grinned at Miranda who was examining a frieze on one of the walls.

"Rookwood."

"Mr and Mrs Rookwood, yes yes. Room 433!" He said excitedly, handing Harry a pair of Keys, Harry smiled and walked towards the stairs.

The hotel room was large, with an enormous bed, spacious bathroom and large balcony overlooking the beach. Harry grinned as he dumped his shrunk luggage down on the bed.

"What do you think?" Harry asked, turning to the statuesque blonde next to him, she just grinned and jumped him.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHP

They spent their days in what Harry could only describe as luxury, despite the time of year, it was still hot enough to relax in the sand and swim in the sea, and when they bored of relaxation, there was a bounteous supply of magical attractions to visit.

They toured the Sinai desert, passing groups of Bedouin travellers, with which they traded knowledge and food, learning much of the local folklore. The Bedouins focused much more on the runic forms of magic neglecting wands to the extent where only one member of the tribe owned one.

Harry had visited several shops, some specialised in enchanted weapons, others offered spell books and lessons in various arts. Harry was, initially, particularly interested in some of the books on Necromancy, which was completely illegal in Britain, but after reading the first couple of chapters he decided against it. Necromancers needed to devote decades to the art before they had any significant results, and Harry frankly didn't want to limit his education like that.

Five days into their holiday and it was Christmas day. They spent the morning in bed, only rousing for Lunch when Harry's stomach started rumbling loudly. Rather than leave the sanctuary of their room they ordered up room service and ate the disgusting looking, though delicious tasting food with equal smiles on their faces.

"Presents?" Harry asked hopefully when he had finished and Miranda gave him a grin,

"Don't ask me like that, it makes me feel like your mother!" she said in mock admonishment, Harry grinned, but said nothing, instead picking up a large package from the end of their bed. He gave it a rattle, and grinned at the sound.

Ripping off the paper he was shocked by what he saw. It was a truly beautiful dagger, the blade was blue/silver steel, with a black leather wrapped handle embossed with an Eagle. It came in a plain sheath, and Harry grasped it with awe. The handle wasn't adorned with gems or made of solid gold, its design was pure precision. Perfectly balanced and lethally sharp, every aspect of it screamed functionality and in Harry's opinion that made it hauntingly beautiful.

He handed Miranda his gift to her, and smiled when he saw her open it, it was a necklace, made of gold with a charm fashioned in the shape of a rampant Griffin. Harry had spotted her eyeing it in a shop the day before, and had snuck back to but it for her last night.

"Thank you, although I hope you're not suggesting something with the charm however, what if Professor Snape saw?!" She said in mock horror, Harry chuckled,

"Please do not bring up Professor Snape when we are in bed… it's just doesn't seem fair to rub in how little action the man must be getting." Miranda chuckled quietly, but allowed for Harry to put the necklace on her.

"Merry Christmas Harry."

"Merry Christmas Miranda."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHP

The rest of their trip passed quickly, and when, on New Year's Day, the two returned to London, it was with considerably heavier bags than when they left, filled as they both were with books and other objects which had taken their fancy.

When Harry returned to Hogwarts at the end of the holiday, it was sadly. Miranda always managed to bring him balance, especially after a term of constant stress.

The Easter term began in much the same way as Christmas. People watched him from the corner of their eyes, and first years still avoided him in droves. Professor Black still seemed to hate him, whilst the other professors hailed him as a prodigy.

The lessons with Snape were proving to be the highlight of Harry's week, the man had been truthful, the spells he was teaching to the Green eyed sixth year were certainly not the obscure aspects of Dark Arts, but instead he taught Harry how to use old spell's in new ways, or how to manipulate the effects of a spell to make it a useful tool in a duel.

Their very first lesson, Snape and Harry had duelled, Snape was only using spells which were taught in their first three years at Hogwarts, and whilst Harry had been successful and defeated the Potions Master, it hadn't been easy, and Harry had been eager to learn the finer points of duelling from the greasy haired wizard.

The school term progressed in much the way that it always did, around two weeks after the beginning of term Harry led Slytherin to its first win of the Quidditch season against Ravenclaw. Draco had lost out on catching the snitch to Cho Chang, but the Slytherin chasers managed to allow the Slytherins to win 260-240. It was a close game, but nevertheless, Harry thought, a victory was always a victory.

Following the match, Harry had five weeks before Slytherin played Hufflepuff, and during that time he allowed his attention to wander. He was walking along the banks of the Lake one Saturday, glad to be outside the castle and enjoying some unseasonably warm weather in early April when he was joined unexpectedly by Professor Lupin.

"Good morning Mr Potter." The bedraggled looking professor had greeted, his voice carefully neutral.

"It is a good morning is it not Professor?" Harry asked, his voice charming, although his senses were alert

"I was hoping you and I could have a little chat?" Lupin asked, his voice sounded tired, and Harry noted that his face was wrinkled and eyes looked bruised.

"Of course Professor." Harry replied courteously, and followed the Professor up to his office on the third floor.

"Tea Harry?" Lupin asked, fussing over a small dented metal kettle in the fire.

"Yes please, milk, no sugar." Lupin nodded and after a few moments placed a steaming mug in front of him, Lupin sat opposite him and took a small sip.

"I thought it best I had a conversation with you Harry, as I suppose if things had turned out differently, you and I could have been very close friends." Harry raised one eyebrow carefully and Lupin expanded.

"Professor Black, myself and your father were fast friends throughout Hogwarts." Lupin explained, "When your father, well, when it _happened_, we were all horrified, although Sirius took it especially badly, he had always viewed James as a brother you see" Harry listened attentively to the older man's story,

"Of course, as soon as he heard, Sirius rushed off with Algie Longbottom, Algie died and Sirius cracked his head open, they thought he was dead for sure, but Sirius was always a fighter, he recovered far quicker than anyone thought possible." Lupin reminisced with a wry smile, "He doesn't remember a thing about the fight though, part of the amnesia." He said as an afterthought.

"How did my father betray them? How can anyone be sure that it was James who told the Dark Lord of Neville's location?" Lupin sighed and took another long sip of tea,

"Neville and his family were placed under a spell, the Fidelius charm, which…"

"Hides something behind a secret, I understand, James Potter was the secret keeper I assume?" Harry finished, Lupin nodded,

"Yes, James was decided to be the secret keeper."

"Is it possible that James was not the real secret keeper? He only led others to believe it to protect the real secret, from what you said, nobody remembers the showdown between Algie, Sirius and my father, so how can his guilt be proven?" Lupin smiled tiredly, but it didn't reach his eyes,

"It is possible of course that James is innocent, but, well… it is highly unlikely." Harry nodded, and opened his mouth to speak when the door opened, Harry turned and saw Professor Snape walk inside.

"Good Morning Mr Potter, I have your Potion Lupin, drink it quickly whilst it's still fresh." Snape handed the Defence professor a steaming tankard and Lupin sighed sadly.

As it passed Harry inhaled and immediately recognised the distinctive smell of the Potion. He looked at Lupin surprised, the defence instructor drank the whole potion in one and grimaced when he was done, though he looked at Harry with a smile,

"It's a shame sugar makes it useless." Harry merely shrugged with forced nonchalance,

"We do what we must to keep the wolves from our door Professor." Behind him he heard Snape laugh loudly, an alien sound, whilst Professor Lupin frowned deeply, his eyes worried,

"I suppose so Harry."

"We were discussing my father" Harry prompted after Snape had left.

"Indeed we were, Harry, I cannot begin to fathom why James betrayed you and Lily to he-who-must-not-be-named, however, whatever his reasons they must have been powerful, for James loved you and Lily very much, very much indeed." He gave Harry a piercing look,

"And now?" Harry asked, looking the defence professor deep in the eye, Lupin frowned, and looked at his hands.

"Now? Who knows, Azkaban has a way of twisting men's souls, I would not be surprised if the man who escapes bears no resemblance to the man I called my friend. I'm sorry." Harry waved the man's apology away,

"I must say Harry, you are taking the whole situation remarkably well, I don't think I would be anywhere near so calm if I were in your seat." Harry sighed softly.

"Perhaps not, but I have had six years to come to terms with his actions."

"Of course, you live in a muggle orphanage do you not?" he asked, Harry shook his head,

"I used to. I live with a dear friend of mine now."

"I hope that it wasn't too hard for you, had Sirius not been so bitter, it would have been his duty to take you in, he is, after all, your godfather." Harry raised his eyebrows.

"From the way he treats me in class, you wouldn't have believed it." Lupin frowned sadly,

"No, I would imagine not, you look an awful lot like your father Harry, your presence no doubt reminds him of the deepest betrayal he has ever suffered. I ask you not to view him too harshly."

Despite Lupins declaration, Harry refused to forgive such a petty man, "May I beg my leave Professor? I have homework to attend to."

Lupin waved him off, and Harry stood quickly, he nodded respectfully to the Professor and then quickly returned to his common room, where he sat for several hours in his usual seat in front of the fire, staring deeply into the flickering flames as he considered everything he had been told.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHP

The day of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw dawned bright and warm. The outcome of the match was extremely important, at the moment, Slytherin were in first place, with Ravenclaw a close second. In order for Slytherin to remain in first place, Gryffindor had to win by over 80 points.

Harry took his usual seat in the front row of the Slytherin stands, Marcus on his left and Olivia on his right. The Ravenclaws started well, much to Harry's annoyance, quickly scoring twice. Harry focused his omnioculars on the seekers, Cho evidently hadn't learnt her lesson from the many times she had been buried by Draco, as she still was marking Longbottom closely, not that Harry really understood why, Longbottom was riding one of the old school brooms, and from the looks of things was suffering some performance issues.

"The Longbottoms are a wealthy family aren't they?" asked Marcus beside him,

"They are, I don't know why Longbottom doesn't have a new broom, I wish the little bastard still manages to catch the snitch!" Harry said, slightly frustrated at the Gryffindor seekers weak performance.

Harry looked in surprised horror when he saw two Dementors glide out onto the pitch, Dumbledore's rage following that event was so severe that Harry was amazed any would dare return! There were screams around the stadium, but he watched with a great deal of interest as Neville drew his wand and shot a full corporeal Patronus at the cloaked figures, the large silver boar was impressive thought Harry, though he rather fancied the Doe he could produce more elegant.

The boar rushed down towards the Dementors, and Harry was confused to see the two stumble, before falling over, he quickly focused in on the two large figures with his omnioculars.

Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Theo Nott. They were standing on each other's shoulders and wearing a long black robe. Harry felt a well of rage grow his stomach.

"Harry? Where are you going?" asked Olivia, her voice concerned, Harry turned to face her, and she nearly shrank back at the furious look in his eyes.

Harry stalked down to edge of the pitch where McGonagall was currently shouting loudly at the Slytherin third years. Harry sidestepped the shouting woman and with a flick of wand, knocked the four boys off their feet.

"Mr Potter, what is the meaning of this?" asked the woman, her voice shocked, Harry ignored her and turned back to Draco.

"I presume this was your idea Malfoy?" Harry asked, his voice bubbling with anger. Draco looked up at him with fear before he nodded.

Harry glared at him for a few seconds.

_Ructo_

Harry's nonverbal retching curse struck the blonde in the face and he immediately doubled over, vomiting violently.

"I told you we wanted Gryffindor to win, and yet you deliberately tried to sabotage them! I told the whole team last night!" Harry said quietly, his voice dangerous. "I told you this, and yet you disobeyed me. Explain." Malfoy said nothing, and Harry sent the curse at the boy again, eyes still livid, however a shield flashed before the grey eyed third year.

Harry turned to the transfiguration professor, and she was shocked by the red glint in his irises and rage twisted features. Before she could say anything, Snape arrived and with a firm jerk of his arm dragged Harry away from the others.

"Potter you fool, calm down immediately." Harry glared at the Potions master, but Snape just raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Calm down now, before you get in anymore trouble."

Harry took a deep breath, and some of the alien anger he had been feeling dissipated. Snape gazed at him carefully.

"I thought I had told you no more use of Dark Magic unless supervised by myself." Harry glared, before he finally relented, looking down slightly,

"I'm sorry Professor." He finally said, Snape just curled his lip.

"Well I'm glad you're sorry, but I have now got to explain why the top student in the school just lost his nerve and attacked four students in front of a teacher!" Snape's voice was loud and spit flew from his mouth. Harry frowned,

"That was because of the Dark Magic?" He asked, "I became angry so quickly, that was the manipulation you spoke of?" Snape calmed a little and nodded.

"Correct, to use dark magic, we must use negative emotions, anger, hate, vengeance. Repeated use of this makes those emotions surface rapidly and unexpectedly." Harry nodded slowly, trying to calm himself by using his meditative techniques.

Snape looked at him with what could only be disappointment in his expression. "I am sorry Potter, but I cannot allow you to practice any Dark Magic for the rest of the year. If you do, I will report it to the headmaster, this is my final word." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Snape cut him off.

"My final word Potter! You've caused enough of a headache for me already. We will continue our lessons each week, but you will also be serving detention twice a week with Professor McGonagall until the end of term." Harry nodded, accepting his punishment. The potions professor sneered at him angrily and stalked off.

Harry sighed, running his hand through his short hair and sighed, it was a good thing Snape had intervened when he had, else Harry was sure he would have cursed McGonagall where she stood. An action which would probably have ended in his arrest, and definitely his expulsion.

"Where did you go?" asked Olivia when he returned to the stadium, Harry shrugged, "being a good prefect and dealing with Malfoy."

Olivia didn't look convinced, but Harry gave her a disarming smile, which she hesitantly returned, and together they got on with the game.

"_And they've seen the snitch, Longbottoms in a pretty shaky dive, with Chang catching up fast." _Harry quickly looked at the two seekers,

"_Chang reaches for the snitch, She's got it…. No, no she hasn't she misses, and Longbottom, yes Longbottom has the snitch!" _

Harry looked hopefully up at the score, maybe despite Malfoy, Gryffindor could still win by 80 points. Sadly luck wasn't with him,

"_And Gryffindor win by ten points, 190 – 180. This means that Ravenclaw is currently leading the Quidditch rankings, with 42 points, Slytherin are a close second with 39, followed by Gryffindor with 35 and Hufflepuff are currently last with 34 points." _

Slytherin had two games left, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, whilst Ravenclaw had only one, He could still do this, this was his year… again.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHP

The next morning the school was abuzz. Ron Weasely had apparently spotted James Potter within the Gryffindor dormitories. But the escaped felon had vanished yet again. His detentions with McGonagall had got underway, despite his misgivings about having to spend so much time with the formidable witch, his detention was actually remarkably educational.

He had initially been set to write lines, but twenty minutes into the session had managed to start a discussion about complete human self-transfiguration, which Harry was delighted to learn had been the subject of McGonagall's transfiguration mastery.

The Professor and student had got into a lively debate about such topics, several hours later, McGonagall checked her clock and hurriedly dismissed him, promising to continue their discussion on Animagus transformations later.

So continued the term, his detentions quickly became solely used as advanced transfiguration lessons, which McGonagall seemed perfectly happy about, towards the end of March, Harry had begun quizzing her on battle transfiguration and this quickly became one of Harry's main focuses.

The Slytherin – Hufflepuff game came and went, Slytherin, even without Draco, who had been banned for one match following the Dementor incident, quickly showed their dominance, Cedric beat Terrence to the Snitch, but Harry's extremely aggressive strategy paid off, leaving Slytherin with a comfortable 50 point lead, meaning they were tied with Ravenclaw for first place, requiring only a win or draw in their match against Gryffindor in the Summer.

The Saturday of April the sixteenth came very quickly for Harry, the entire school was abuzz with excitement. Longbottom had finally replaced his broom, and Harry was furious to learn that the little boy-saviour had got his hands on a firebolt. The fastest broom on the market.

"Boys." Harry began, his eyes landing on each green clad player in the changing room, "this is it."

"We've seen Gryffindor play, they've barely changed their team in three years, and we have beaten them every single bloody time we've faced them." He paused, "Draco, you can do this, the broom's fast, sure, but the rider is nothing special, you've got to get into his head, keep the bastard on edge, don't let him find a rhythm and keep him away from the Snitch." Draco nodded curtly, he had been rather edgy around Harry ever since the Ravenclaw Gryffindor match.

"Marcus, Adrien, Amelia. We have the size advantage, Christ knows we've practiced well enough. We can do this, Bole, Derrick that goes for you too!" he turned to the keeper,

"Belby, you've got to admit it, you haven't had much to do during games this year," there were laughs from the team, "but you can do this, keep calm, keep focused and stop anything coming near the posts. Simple yeah?" he asked with a grin, Belby gave a confident grin.

"Slytherins, this is our season, it's our cup, and I will see you all at the post match party!" The team cheered and walked out of the changing rooms, faces excited, but focused.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHP

"_Longbottom dives, my god that broom is fast, Malfoy is chasing, but can't seem to get the edge on the Gryffindor Seeker." _Harry unconsciously crossed his fingers,

"_Foul!" _cried Lee Jordan, "_Malfoy deliberately elbows Longbottom, and yes, it's a penalty." _Harry smirked, as a seeker Malfoy had no need to stop for fouls, it was a good move by the blonde.

"_Malfoy is in the lead, oh, Katie Bell scores from the penalty, Malfoy is feet away from the Snitch, and he's going to catch it." _

Harry felt like a freight train had hit him when Malfoy triumphantly raised his closed fist, the tiny golden ball gripped tight, wings still fluttering.

"_Slytherin wins, 330 – 40, which means for the eighth year in a row, Slytherin will win the Quidditch cup!" _

The cheers from the Slytherins were so loud Harry could feel the stands vibrate. He pumped his fist into the air, and ran out into the pitch to congratulate the Landing team, they quickly enveloped him into a tight Hug and Harry grinned, hugging them back.

"_And here comes Professor Dumbledore to present the Quidditch cup to the Slytherin Captain and Coach, Harry Potter." _Harry accepted the cup from the old headmaster with a wide smirk, holding it high above his head.

The Slytherins cheered and the rest of the school clapped politely, Harry looked down at the large silver cup, and grinned when he saw the words

_1995 – Slytherin, Harry Potter (C)  
1996 – Slytherin, Harry Potter (C)_

Eight years of Slytherin victories, six of which Harry had had a hand in, it was certainly not a common feat.

The party that night was one of the best ever. There was plates of food covering all the available tables, Barrels of butterbeer had appeared from seemingly nowhere, whilst over a dozen bottles of firewhiskey were piled next to them.

The Slytherins partied long into the night, Harry enjoying the chance to finally unwind after quite such a tense year, and when Harry finally fell asleep at six o'clock in the morning in Terrence's bed, it was cuddled in a weird hug with Marcus, Terrence, Charles, Draco, Clara, Olivia and Georgia.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHP

The party took a long time to recover from, Snape had not been amused and had prevented the house elves from cleaning up, forcing the Slytherins to carry all the rubbish up into the entrance hall to be taken by the elves before he would give out any headache draughts.

However, after that excitement the year wound down, with no important exams that year, the sixth years found the summer term to be extremely dull, Harry's highlights to his week were still his lessons with Snape, and his detentions with McGonagall, even though Harry's detention had come to an end several weeks before, neither student nor teacher felt any urge to stop attending their little private lessons.

On the evening of June the ninth, Harry was having detention with Professor Black, unlike his detentions with McGonagall, Harry would never voluntarily attend anything with the bitter defence instructor, Harry was currently being punished for having mastered a spell too quickly and distracting the class. Harry would have complained, but he rather enjoyed the professor's reaction when he failed to get a reaction from the green eyed prefect.

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

Harry's hand was aching, he had been writing the same line out for over an hour, and had successfully filled three rolls of parchment, Black was sitting at the front of the classroom marking exam papers and occasionally looking up to glare at Harry.

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

_I must not disrupt the class_

Harry dipped his quill back into the ink and prepared to continue writing, he was distracted however by the door behind him being thrown open.

"He's here Padfoot, He's here!" came the excited voice of Professor Lupin as he burst through the door. He stopped quickly when he saw Harry sitting there, but quickly recovered and hurried up to Sirius, producing a battered old piece of Parchment and waving it under his eyes.

Black's eyes widened comically, and together the two professor's began discussing quietly under their breath.

Harry cast a silent eavesdropping charm with a subtle flick of his wand.

"… You know the map never lies Sirius! He's in the forest!" Lupin was whispering,

"I know, do we get Dumbledore? Let's not, I want to kill that bastard myself. It's my right!"

"Calm down Sirius, Prongs already beat you once, and we can't afford to be fools, Neville is with Hagrid, he's in real danger and we've got to be logical about…"

"Fuck Logic!" Sirius hissed, "I want to see that man's life leave his eyes after I finally end him!" with that the black haired professor stormed off, and quickly headed out of the door.

Harry carefully packed up his things, making sure to ignore the werewolf before him, before he stood up and left. Mind racing Harry let a small frown grace his features.

If James Potter was loyal to Voldemort, then Harry had an obligation to protect him, if he wasn't, well he could deal with that situation when it developed.

* * *

**So... A bit of a cliff hanger, the next chapter is written and I think fairly awesome, writing James was a real challenge, but I took an approach I have never seen anywhere before, I've also decided to stop keeping two chapters ahead of what I publish, as that way I can take review feedback and implement it more immediately into the story...**

** That means of course, If you have suggestions, you have to review! **

**kisses and cuddles**

**Marshall Angmar.**


	14. Chapter 13

**So, dear reviewers, when I posted last nights chapter, it was just before I fell asleep, and when I awoke this morning it was to the delightful surprise of several very positive reviews, which is awesome! literally the best present I could wake up to, so thanks so much!**

**On to more serious matters. THIS IS IT... (Dun Dun Duhhh...) the showdown, it's been the subject of a lot of discussion, and because of that I've been so worried about finally getting this chapter right, will he? won't he? I really am quite proud of this chapter, it's longer than any other, and without a doubt the hardest I've had to write so far, so please, I would really love feedback on it... To all the people who speculated on how it would end, have I done the rest of the story justice?**

**The patch of this chapter which is entirely Dumbledore's thoughts is to quell any idea's you may still have about this being a Dumble-bashing fic, because Dumbledore has very few aspects to his character in Canon that can be bashed, I am trying to keep my Dumbledore as similar as possible to JK Rowlings!**

**Thanks again to my beta.**

**here it is...**

* * *

Chapter 13

Harry hurried back to the common room, it was full at this time of the evening and Harry spent a few minutes trying to avoid the many conversations he was sucked into. Reaching his dorm room, he kicked off his black school shoes and trousers, slipping on a pair of dark grey fitted jeans and a black bomber jacket, which he zipped up to his neck.

Satisfied he would be able to hide in shadows Harry quickly kicked open his trunk, rooting around in the depths before finding the duellers wand holster which Clara and Graham had given him for Christmas in his fourth year. He strapped the black dragon hide to his left forearm and slid his wand easily into the channel. Satisfied with his outfit, he made his way back out of the common room.

It was nearly curfew and the corridors were deserted, Harry was easily able to avoid the few teacher patrols. He made it to the great front doors, slipping past the grumbling form of Filch who was standing watch over the front Lawn. Harry found himself on the expansive fields overlooking the Lake and Hogsmeade.

At first glance it appeared to be deserted, but then Harry saw what appeared to be running shapes. One was obviously human, tall and most probably male, whilst the other appeared to be a large dog. They were sprinting towards the forbidden forest, and Harry decided to, as sneakily as possible, give chase.

He broke into an easy run, relying on the disillusionment charm to keep himself hidden. The dim evening light would help to keep the slight distortion the charm left in the air from being visible. He made it to the forest and fell into a low crouch, the woods were eerily silent, the dense canopy blocking nearly of the light out of the sky. Harry's eyes scanned the area carefully. Nothing was moving, and with the exception of a few birds, not a sound could be heard.

"Ron, for goodness sake!" The sound was unmistakably feminine, Harry whirled around, three people, and from the distance Harry was standing from them, they were unmistakably Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger, had stopped halfway down the lawn.

From the looks of things, Ron had tripped over his untied shoelace, face planting into the dewy grass. Harry watched the trio carefully, his instructions from Riddle at the front of his mind, Neville Longbottom had to survive… for now.

A sound behind him suddenly drew Harry's attention, a rustle coming from a dense bush behind him. He turned on the spot, stalking slowly towards the site where the noise had come from. He squinted carefully in the darkness, but couldn't see anything, he activated his magical sight and nearly gasped. Something was in the bush, something very large and very magical. He made a rapid motion to draw his wand, but before he could, the _thing _suddenly charged.

Harry had a brief image of a four legged antlered animal before it struck him on his shoulder, he was knocked aside like a sack of potatoes, falling painfully on his back and knocking the wind out of him. He lay on the floor gasping for a little while, straining to get air into his lungs.

Rolling onto his front he raised himself back into a crouch, eyes alert and wand raised in case the… Moose? Deer? Made another pass. Fortunately it appeared to have gone. Walking over to the treeline, Harry looked out.

It became immediately obvious where the beast had gone. Neville and Hermione had scattered, shouting in panic as the animal, which Harry could now make out to be a half starved looking Stag, rushed at Ron, catching him in the stomach with its antlers. The gangly red head was sent head over heels, but the stag carried on attacking him, it pushed the obviously injured third year towards the whomping willow. Just as it made it to the trunk, both Stag and boy suddenly vanished. Harry blinked, looking closely at the area from which they had disappeared. Nothing, no flash of disapparation, nor the hazy blur in the air typical of a disillusionment charm.

Harry continued to puzzle over their sudden disappearance as he watched Neville and Hermione attempt to dodge the flailing limbs of the Whomping Willow. As Harry watched Hermione and Neville made a mad dash to the trunk before they too suddenly disappeared. Harry frowned in absolute confusion. Either he was being exceptionally dense, or there was powerful magic here he had never even heard off, to hide multiple figures with no noise or light.

To his mild surprise two more figures had suddenly made a mad dash towards the tree, it was Lupin and a his dog, Harry watched as Lupin waited on the lawn whilst the dog went up and touched the trunk, freezing the flailing limbs, then both man and dog charged the trunk and without a sound were gone.

Harry stood where he was for five minutes at least. His father was out here in the forest somewhere, but the mad stag clearly presented a very real threat to Neville, he dithered for a few moments, balancing on the balls of his feet.

_Screw it_ he thought, before sprinting over the lawn towards the Whomping Willow. The tree evidently sensed him coming, for its branches whipped and crashed a few feet from Harry, who had wisely stopped a few feet from the tree's effective range.

_Stasus!_

The stasis charm had no immediate effect, and Harry poured more and more power into it, eventually the tree, whilst still not stationary, had slowed it's movements enough that Harry could dodge the branches with ease.

Cautiously approaching the trunk, Harry studied it for hidden doors, finding none, he checked the ground and quickly found a wide opening that clearly led into the bowels of the earth.

_I suppose that answers my question _he thought wryly, _I'm just incredibly dense._

Harry grinned as he dived into the hole, it slid down for several metres before levelling out, leaving Harry in a long, low tunnel.

Reapplying his concealment charms, Harry hurried down the passage for what felt like half a mile, before he finally ended up in what appeared to have once been a rather plush living room. However that must have been a long time ago, the windows were boarded up and most of the furniture was smashed to pieces with bite marks and long scratches, more than that, Harry could sense several wards that had been erected for the sole purpose of keeping _something_, locked inside the house.

_Lupin_ Harry thought, it made sense, what do you do with an angry werewolf but lock him up in a grimy old house?

Following the trail of footprints in the dust, Harry quickly found himself approaching a set of stairs. It was clear from the clear patches in the dust that many pairs of feet had been up the once elegant stairway recently, and with great caution Harry began to ascend slowly.

As he climbed, he began to hear voices, they were raised in anger and Harry strained to hear them,

"… _Your son? Is that what you wanted?" _that was unmistakably the calm and reasonable voice of Lupin.

"_Professor, He's losing a lot of blood, what should I do?" _Granger, Harry thought, he had seen no other girls enter the passage.

"_Silence Girl, Silence and step away!"_ Harry didn't recognise that voice, it was harsh, and gravelly as though it had not been used often.

There was suddenly the noise of a scuffle, and from Harrys spot outside the closed door, Lights and flashes were suddenly visible beneath the gap of the door. Evidently a spell fight was going on, Harry decided against entering the room in the middle of a fight, instead he took the time to centre himself, clearing his mind of emotion and raising his chin.

There was a pained shout, followed shortly after by a rich bouquet of graphic swear words, which were quickly silenced. The spell light abruptly ended and a harsh laugh sounded throughout the room.

Harry took this as his cue. He turned the doorknob, and with the feeling of butterflies in his stomach pushed open the door.

The room was large, clearly it had once been the master bedroom, Ron Weasely lay on the bed, his face pale and a large amount of thick scarlet blood pouring out from a wide antler sized puncture wound in his stomach, Neville and Hermione crouched over him, their expressions showing terror. Professor Lupin was unconscious, his tall frame lying against the wardrobe, eyes closed, with a nasty looking bruise developing on his face.

Sirius black was tightly bound in ropes, bleeding from his nose and a split lip, a rough gag forced into his mouth. He was lying on the floor, glaring up at the final occupant of the room.

Tall, with lank shoulder length hair, his frame skeletally thin stood a man, Harry at first didn't think he was a man at all, his skin was a sickly yellow, stretched tight over sunken features that may once have been handsome. He wore just a black coat and torn pair of trousers, which did nothing to hide just how skeletally thin he was.

Harry took all of his features, but his eyes rested on the man's eyes, they were alive, dancing in the fire, they didn't show hate, rage or anger, indeed they showed only pure delight and insane joy.

The room went suddenly silent at his entrance. The two conscious teenagers looked at him in shocked surprise, Black looked at him in resigned acceptance mixed with rage, whilst the skeletal man, who Harry assumed could only be his father merely looked at him with a sort of interested confusion.

"You!" cried out Hermione, Harry gave her a small shake of her head and she fell silent. Neville however didn't get the hint,

"I knew it, I knew you must be in league with _him _Potter!" At this James gave a strangled gasp.

"Potter?" he croaked, Harry, for the first time since he could remember made eye contact with his father.

"Harry, James, Potter." He enunciated slowly, and James gave a wide, insane grin, revealing crooked yellow teeth.

"Come to meet dear old daddy?" he asked mockingly, Harry gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I've come to learn where your loyalties lie." He said, James said nothing, instead turning back towards Sirius, apparently delighted in the groans the defence professor made with each kick to the ribs, the man had evidently lost interest in Harry.

"Potter, um, Harry?" he turned to face the bushy haired third year calmly, she looked terrified, but was evidently trying to keep her cool, and Harry gave her a nod to continue,

"Could you help Ron? I think he may be dying!" Harry took a brief look at the red head, he knew very little of healing, but agreed with Hermione's assessment. He drew his wand and cast a diagnostic charm. They were right, If Weasely didn't stop losing blood soon he would die, whilst he had no real desire to continue the redheads life, he supposed it wouldn't look to good to the rest of the school if he had deliberately allowed a third year to bleed to death.

With a small sigh he pointed his wand at the boy, conjuring a small ball of blue fire, which he used to cauterise the wound, it wasn't pretty, and it did nothing to help the internal wounds, but Harry hoped it might keep him alive long enough for further medical attention.

"Why you doing magic hmm?" asked James, his attention returning to his son when the wand had been waved.

"Why are you here?" Harry asked, his voice ice cold, James gave a laugh, the sound coming out like a strangled bark,

"Why am I here he says?" the elder Potter suddenly performed a quarter turn and ducked his face into a closed hand,

"_What do I say Lily? What's I here for? He's our son and he's a slippery Slytherin! Hagrid was right, schemers… plotters… Potters ahaha, no Potters meant to be in Slytherin Lily, oh no!" _Harry was taken aback at the sheer level of insanity the wizard before him was showing.

"Why are you here?" he asked again and James gave him a lopsided grin,

"To finish my little job, oh yes, someone has to, wouldn't do for job's to be left half done now would it?" he asked, giggling to himself.

"What job? What must be finished?" James looked at him curiously, before raising his hand and pointing an accusing finger at Neville.

"The chubby one,_ and he is fat Lily,_ oh yes, Master couldn't kill him, so it leaves James to finish the job" he turned again and spoke into his hand,

"_Oh Lily, I always was the best, wasn't I? I always knew what to do, no wonder the Dark Lord wants James to finish the job!" _

Harry took a deep breath. It was terribly clear that twelve years in Azkaban had left James Potter quite insane, and Harry could have yelled in frustration as he realised he would most likely never learn the reason for his father's betrayal. It was also clear that James was a servant of the Dark Lord, which meant Harry really ought to let him escape… not that the man would be much use to anyone in his current state.

"Go. Leave now Potter, Quickly, before the Dementors arrive." James looked at him curiously,

"Oh James will go, oh yes, he'll be off in a moment, just as soon as the chubby one dies!" With that James sent a cutting curse straight at Neville, he moved very fast and Harry was only just able to raise a shield in time. James glared at him, looking for all the world like Harry had stolen his biscuit.

"_why did my son stop the spell Lily?_ Why did you stop my spell boy?"

"Leave now James Potter. And leave Longbottom alive!" James gave a wild cackle and with another flick of his wand sent a barrage of spell's at Harry.

_Protego Maxima!_ He thought, watching as the cascade of spell's splashed against his shield in a kaleidoscope of colour.

James kept up his offensive for several moments, casting silently and cackling madly, Harry's shield eventually broke and he dove out of the spell's path.

_Stupefy! Furnunculus, petrificus totalus! _Harry thought, returning fire with his own barrage of spells, although unlike James's lethal selection, Harry was aiming to incapacitate only. James however moved faster than he would have thought possible, he dodged Harry's spell chain, but carried on firing his curses at the same time, forcing Harry on the defensive once again.

Several minutes later and Harry was tiring quickly. Despite his time in Azkaban, his father was easily the most formidable opponent Harry had ever faced, he moved jerkily but quickly, and every one of his spells was dead on accurate.

In the few moments that Harry had been able to cast offensively, he had been forced to abandon spells to disarm and incapacitate, returning fire instead with his own lethal brand of Dark Arts and transfiguration.

_Ossus fragmentum, Hastis Glacis, Commudo!_

Whilst the trio of deadly spells were headed towards James, Harry took the opportunity to change the three chairs at the vanity table into a pack of wolves, which with a powerful compulsion charm quickly charged James.

The elder Potter had blocked the three curses with a maniacal laugh, but didn't seem to notice the three dogs. The first dived on his back, digging its claws into the older man's skin. James gave hoarse yell, before using a flame whip to quickly dispose of the three beasts.

Turning back to Harry, James gave a mad grin, blood dripping to the floor at his feet.

_Sangulcus! Ossus explodum _Harry thought quickly, both spells leaving his wand with a bright flash

Harry and James both cast at the same time, Harry attempted to dodge the violet coloured curse coming at him, but it struck his left hand and he felt a searing agony. Looking down, Harry saw the skin start to rot before his eyes, and with a hurried stasis charm, he prevented any further damage, however it didn't stop the terrible pain that Harry could feel radiating from the wounded appendage.

James laughed as he saw Harry's hand. "Did Harry's hand go bye bye? Does he want Daddy to curse it properly this time?" he asked mockingly, Harry ignored him. Instead summoning a trunk that had been pushed up against the wall, the heavy leather bound box struck James in the back and he pitched forward

"Father please, leave. I am sorry but I can't let you kill him" Harry said, feeling almost desperate, "Just go, please father, leave!" James stood slowly up, clearly in some pain

Harry knew from the look in the skeletal man's face that this duel could only possibly end one way.

"Avada Kedavra!" James suddenly roared, whipping his wand at Harry. The raven haired sixth year dived to one side, and snapped out a cutting curse as he fell.

The cutter found its mark. Harry watched in detached disappointment as the red curse struck James right in the neck. The escaped convicts head snapped back, a great burst of crimson suddenly exploding outwards.

Hermione, who up until this point had been in silent horror screamed loudly as the spray caught her straight across the face, Harry ignored her though, his eyes were focused on his father. The man was still standing, blood pouring from a jagged tear across his whole neck, his eyes were wide in silent surprise, mouth gaping like a fish out of water.

In slow motion, the man fell to his knees with a dull thump, before he collapsed forward. Harry watched, not allowing anything of the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling to show on his face. Sheathing his wand as casually as possible Harry turned to Hermione and Neville.

"We need to get him to the hospital wing." His voice was dispassionate, and Hermione nodded once fearfully.

"Diffindo, Enervate." Harry called, releasing Professor Black and waking Lupin. Black immediately jumped to his feet, hurrying to help Lupin stand. Harry looked back at the corpse of his father, eyes taking in the red puddle that had formed beneath his head. He would never know, never know why his father had forever branded Harry _traitors son._

It suddenly felt as if the air was unable to reach his lungs. His throat felt tight and his eyes stung. Harry blinked and ignored the feeling of the lump in his throat.

_Mobillicorpus._ Harry thought, and the body rose as if on invisible strings, a sick parody of a living being. "Let's go." He said, Black looked like he might argue but said nothing, instead he just levitated the unconscious Ron, and together the two of them left for the hospital wing.

They were a strange group. Harry led the way, the corpse of the eldest Potter following behind, still dripping blood, Granger and Neville followed, both looking like they may be sick at the sight of the floating body. Weasely was hovering just behind them, carried by Black who was supporting Lupin.

No one spoke, and they made their way out of the Whomping Willow in silence, arriving on the dark lawns next to the forest.

They had barely gone five steps when it happened.

"Remus?" Sirius asked, his voice nervous, Harry turned, and saw the stationary form of Professor Lupin, his entire body was strained, and Harry suddenly knew why. He looked up at the clouds and as they parted saw the bright full moon shining in the sky, "Remus, did you take your potion tonight?"

Harry scowled, but as turned as calmly as possible to the confused looking third years.

"Longbottom, get behind me, slowly and with no sudden movements." The chubby boy saviour looked at him in confusion, "Now Longbottom." Harry said a bit more forcefully, fortunately it appeared Granger was the smarter of the two, for she dragged Longbottom by the arm whilst summoning Ron as she did so.

Harry turned back to Lupin, the professor was crouched over in obvious pain, and Harry watched in awed fascination as his hands elongated, fingers growing into vicious looking claws. His legs were growing and bending whilst his face stretched into a cruel looking muzzle.

The werewolf gave a pained cry and ripped the skin off its back, revealing coarse dark fur. Transformation complete, the beast paused for a moment, and Harry watched curiously as Sirius attempted to reason with it. Sadly this was unsuccessful, and with a vicious swipe of its large front paw Professor Black flew through the air and landed with a vicious crack.

Harry held his breath as the Werewolf sniffed the air. He had his wand gripped tightly in his hands, and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins as his heart beat a mile a minute.

Behind him Harry heard Longbottom and Granger whimper as the enormous beast raised its head and glared at them. With a sickening inevitably, Lupin took one slow step towards them, its countenance screaming that of a predator. Harry raised his wand

_Flagrate flagellum! _

With a bright flash a fifteen foot whip of white hot flame burst from the end of Harry's wand. The werewolf paused momentarily before taking another step towards them. Harry cracked the whip loudly, and the beast howled angrily pausing just outside the weapons range.

Harry suddenly felt the irrational sense of rage he associated with dark magic overuse overcome his senses, and his vision blurred as a red filter seemed to settle over his vision. He narrowed his eyes angrily.

_What was this _beast _to threaten him? _He thought, he took a furious step forward and raised the whip, bringing it slashing down towards the wolf's chest. Lupin dodged it narrowly, but Harry quickly brought it down again, striking the beast on its rear legs and tail.

Lupin gave a pained howl as the acrid smell of burned hair and flesh reached Harry's nose. He smiled in pleasure and brought the whip down again, Lupin however anticipated the strike and dove furiously straight at Harry.

With only feet to spare, He just managed to hurl himself out of the Werewolf's path before it crashed into him, lying on the ground he brought his whip down again, and with a cruel snap, the smoking rope of white hot flame opened an angry looking wound on the Professors back. The wolf fell to its knees in agony.

Harry brought the whip down twice more, opening brand new smoking lines of burned and scarred flesh. By this stage Lupin was laying on its belly, whining pitifully like a dog locked out of a house.

Harry cancelled the whip with a thought, and stalked to the stand by Lupins head. The oversized wolf looked at him, its eyes were still those of the mild mannered professor, and it looked at him fearfully, clouds of mist exited it's nostrils from its rapid breaths.

"Potter. Don't!" Hermione called, Harry turned to look at her, she looked like she was about to be sick, tears running down her cheeks.

"Just leave him, he's still a man!" she cried, Harry gave her a grin, it was wide and displayed all the cruel malice he was feeling at that moment.

_Apsorio_

The werewolf's head suddenly imploded violently, brain and blood leaking from every orifice. He heard Hermione's cry of horror and Neville's angered shout. As the puddle of blood began to spread, Harry felt the alien emotions slowly fade, leaving him tired but satisfied, his body still thrumming with the power that dark magic provided.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Albus Dumbledore was sat behind his desk at midnight that night, he was nearly ready for bed, dressed in a sapphire blue nightshirt and matching cap. His eyes were skimming over a long page of parchment describing some of the early plans for next year's tri-wizard tournament.

He put the parchment down with a weary sigh, deciding to finish his reading in the morning when he was better rested. Clearing his desk to a respectable state, he was about to retreat to his private quarters when he heard the chime that alerted him when someone was ascending the stairs.

Dumbledore frowned when he saw the time, it was rare for him to receive visitors at past midnight, and when they did arrive they tended to bode rather bad news, he sighed again, recalling the last time he had received such a late night visit. The poor Weasely family had yet to recover.

He sat himself back down, and schooled his features into a kind, if weary expression, awaiting the knock to his door. The knock however never came, instead the door was opened immediately and Dumbledore watched in concern as the young Harry Potter entered the room.

For as long as Dumbledore had known Harry, the boy had always carried himself like a king, displaying no weakness and for the most part, no emotion whatsoever. It worried the aged Headmaster therefore to see Harry now, his posture was slightly slumped and he wore what seemed to be a somewhat lost expression, his eyes, always so sharp and cold, now appeared empty and glassy, whilst his clothes were rumpled and torn, stained with blood and dust.

"Harry? What may I…" Dumbledore began, before his voice trailed off in shock. Floating behind the sixth year prefect came two corpses. One was unmistakably a werewolf, whilst the other was a man, both steadily dripping blood.

Harry floated the bodies into the middle of the room before cancelling the spell, dropping the two bodies to the floor with a muffled thud. Dumbledore kept his features calm as he looked upon the features of his former student and friend James Potter, the werewolf was Lupin, of that Dumbledore had no doubt, even though its features had been bludgeoned beyond recognition.

The silver haired headmaster looked at the boy in front of him with shock, but his feelings soon morphed into pity as he looked at the child, Harry hadn't moved, and his eyes appeared to be stuck on his father's face.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, the green eyed teen didn't move. "_Harry?" _he asked more forcefully and the boy looked up, Dumbledore watched in resigned acceptance when the Prefect's face became suddenly blank, the lost expression in his eyes vanishing behind an ice cold shield.

"It would appear you have had an interesting evening my boy." Dumbledore said carefully, keeping his eyes carefully on the young Potter,

"Indeed." The boy replied with a smirk, and Dumbledore nearly frowned as the cold smirk graced Harry's face, it was a valiant effort the headmaster thought, but Dumbledore had played Politics since before Harry's father had been born, and saw through the expression easily.

"I will not ask you what happened tonight Harry just yet." Dumbledore began, "go to the hospital wing immediately, your hand is in serious need of assistance before the damage becomes permanent. He saw Harry look down at his hand, the flash riddled with black, green and purple patches as the skin rotted away slowly, even under the effects of Harry's stasis charm.

The boy nodded and turned on his heel, Dumbledore sighed, resting his weary head on his hands, Harry Potter had always been a cause of Headaches to the headmaster. He was so unlike his father and mother, so unlike anyone Albus had ever met before, even the young Voldemort.

When Minerva first regaled him with the tale of meeting Harry in the orphanage, he had been concerned that the boy was a carbon copy of the dark lord, however from the first day in the school, Harry had proven himself to be different, better in many ways than the young orphan boy Tom Riddle.

Dumbledore had watched with delight as Harry made friends, even Miss Rookwood, who was unmistakably closer to the dark than the light on the magical spectrum, was a positive influence on the boy.

Dumbledore had said it before and would say it again, Love was the greatest weapon he possessed over Voldemort. Harry's love for his friends, and especially the intense love he felt for the beautiful Miranda Rookwood was what kept him safe, kept him strong and kept him free from being overcome by darkness.

That didn't mean that Dumbledore wasn't concerned about young Harry Potter, the boy was brilliant, of that there was no argument, he was a prodigy in most every subject and Dumbledore listened to glowing reports about his progress near daily from his staff. No, If Harry had only been an academic prodigy, it would have been fine, but Harry Potter had a long list of adjectives to describe him:

Cold, cunning, ruthless, ambitious, charming, controlled, powerful, charismatic, logical, relentless were but a few.

Dumbledore knew in his heart that should the boy desire it, he could win Voldemort the war, he could probably take over the country in a matter of years if he wished it, and Dumbledore was an old man, he didn't have the power to take on two Dark Lords.

Despite Dumbledore's best efforts, Harry had slipped further and further from where he wished. The headmaster knew he was practicing dark magic, and Albus strongly suspected that the young Potter had only been partially truthful with his story about the philosopher's stone two years ago.

And now there was this, Dumbledore refused to jump to conclusions, but it appeared that the sixth year had killed his father and a professor. Dumbledore felt a tear run down his cheek when he remembered the look in Harry's eyes earlier. Whatever had happened, whatever the crime, no child should have to bury their father.

"Albus?" Came a shout from the fireplace, Dumbledore looked and saw Madame Pomphrey's head in his grate,

"Poppy, Mr Potter has arrived I take it?" he asked, his voice very grave, the healer shook her head quickly,

"No, is he on his way then? I think you should come down here, I have Longbottom, Weasely and Granger with me, as well as Professor Black." Dumbledore quickly dismissed her with a promise of being down shortly, He had to get to the bottom of this matter, and fast.

Throwing a pinch of floo powder into the fire, he alerted the Minister and Auror office of the developments, before hurrying down to the Hospital Wing.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The first thing Harry noticed when he awoke was that something was tickling his nose, and whatever it was smelt delicious.

He opened his eyes slowly, closing them quickly at the harsh light before opening them again slowly. He was in the hospital wing, and the _thing_ tickling his nose was in fact a head of blonde hair, which was sleeping on his chest.

With startling clarity, Harry remembered the events of the previous night and felt the feeling of failure and despondency spread through his whole body. He closed his eyes again, and to his very great shame felt tears leak from the corner of his eyes.

He blinked furiously, reaching up to rub such evidence of ridiculous sentimentality out of his face. Unfortunately the movement stirred Miranda and she looked up at him with sleep filled eyes. She blinked blearily, before her eye's filled with amusement.

"Are you crying Potter?" she asked, Harry shook his head quickly, but she cackled slightly before shaking her head,

"I was merely unused to the morning light!" Harry replied, feeling a small smirk play across his face at the familiar banter.

"Really? And the light caused the redness in your cheeks and that delightfully runny nose too I take it?" her tone was innocent, but Harry could see the smile on her face.

"Yes." Harry replied, keeping his expression stable, Miranda eyed in carefully,

"Alright." she bent down and gave him a kiss over both his eyes, before lazily smiling at him, "I thought you might have gone soft on me!"

Harry grinned at her and gave a roguish wink, "No chance!"

At that point there was a commotion by the door and a large group of people entered at once. Madam Pomphrey, the Headmaster, Snape, McGonagall and Black, as well as a tall man in expensive robes who was twirling a lime green bowler hat in his hands, Harry recognised him as Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic.

"Mr Potter, I am glad you have finally decided to stop sleeping." Snape said, his tone mocking, Harry removed his smirk, instead keeping his face carefully clear.

"Yes yes, we were all very worried about you! Cornelius Fudge Mr Potter, Minister for Magic" added Fudge quickly, his voice slightly whiny and grating, Harry gave a polite nod, and Dumbledore looked down at him.

Harry looked at the Headmaster and saw that the aged man's eyes were not twinkling, they were looking hard and fast at Harry, the expression very grave.

"Harry, as I'm sure you understand, we have to know what happened last night." Harry nodded, and idly noted that Professor Black's expression appeared both pained and upset.

"I don't quite know where to begin Headmaster, Minister." Harry began, his tone neutral even as he held on tightly to Miranda's hand. "I suppose it started in Professor Black's defence lesson. I disrupted the lesson by accidentally mastering a spell to fast, and was understandably given detention."

Harry saw with vicious amusement Black's cheeks turning a colourful shade of pink as the other turned to give him reproaching glares, Dumbledore's eyes regained a small amount of their lost twinkle as he urged Harry to continue.

Harry told his story with only a few modifications, he skimmed over his duel with his father, stating only that he was forced to duel the man to the death, and carefully leaving out any mention of the questionable nature of the spell's he had used.

He then moved on to the incident with Lupin, describing the Professors transformation, and subtly inferring that had Harry not acted as he had, the four students would be dead, which was true, although he rather suggested that he had only attacked where absolutely necessary.

When he finished his story there was silence in the room and he suddenly realised just how tightly he was gripping Miranda's hand, he quickly loosed it, sending her an apologetic smile.

The minister was the first to recover, and he smiled benignly down at Harry. "Mr Potter, Mr Potter, do not worry, you did the right thing, to go against such a dangerous wizard to defend fellow students is so very brave, and against your father as well!" He beamed widely,

"have no doubt either young man, about trouble with the law, no one is blaming you for killing the werewolf Harry, they are dangerous creatures and it is a real achievement for any wizard to survive an encounter, I don't know what one was doing teaching here! You should be very proud Harry. If I have any say in the matter you'll be getting an order of Merlin Second Class, Merlin's beard, perhaps even first class, you are a hero Harry, and don't you forget it." The portly man gave Harry a comforting squeeze on the shoulder and Harry resisted rolling his eyes at the man's actions.

Harry looked to Snape, and saw the man was looking at him with a look of impressed relief, the greasy haired man quickly nodded when they made eye contact.

"Harry, you have without doubt been very brave, and I will echo the Ministers words, you will not be punished for your actions, but I expect you to join me in my study this afternoon, at three o'clock." Harry nodded and the teachers left, leaving Harry, Miranda and Madame Pomphrey.

"When did you get here?" Harry asked the blonde,

"Around one the Headmaster flooed me, when I got in Pomphrey was still working on Weasely." Harry looked to the healer,

"Is Weasely alive?" He asked, his voice casual, Pomphrey fixed him with a stare,

"Yes, thanks to you, although it was still a very close thing, your method of healing is… crude Mr Potter, but it saved his life, so well done." Harry shrugged and turned back to the blonde.

"So..." he began, looking at her "Plans for summer?"

She rolled her eyes, "Well, We could watch a few Quidditch matches, Ireland got through to the quarter finals so we could beg tickets from Moran, other than that, I have to work, so I'm afraid I can't fit in another international trip!"

"I'm touched that you came to visit me last night Miranda, though be careful, else someone may think you actually cared." He grinned and the blonde adopted her usual haughty expression.

"Don't get used to it Potter, Slytherin look's out for her own." Harry gave a smile as she repeated the words she had last said to him six years ago. "I have to go, I've missed an hour's work already."

Harry gave her a lingering kiss and then she left, Madame Pomphrey bustled over as she vanished in the fire, performing her usual battery of diagnostic checks.

"Well Potter, you're fine, have some breakfast and then I'll dismiss you." Harry accepted the tray of food and ate it quickly, before dressing and heading quickly out of the door. He was greeted warmly by his friends, who evidently had heard about what happened, it has apparently been published in _The Daily Prophet _that morning that the hero Harry Potter had killed his traitor father in a duel valiantly defending Neville Longbottom.

Several students who Harry had never met came up to him in the hallways to hug him, which Harry allowed with a sort of bemused acceptance, The biggest surprise came from the two Weasely twins, Harry had only spoken to them very rarely, but like the rest of the school he was very aware of their reputation, they had approached him as he left the charms classroom to shake his hand.

Harry told them that saving Ron was nothing and that he did what anyone would do, the twins however had clearly been grateful, especially after Ginnys death last year.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Arriving at Dumbledore's study, Harry knocked smartly on the door and waited, shortly after there came the voice of the aged headmaster and Harry pushed on the door.

"Good Afternoon, I must say, you look far better than you did last time you were in here." Dumbledore said, his blue eyes watching him intensely even as his tone remained jovial.

"Thank you Headmaster, I feel much better too, Madam Pomphrey healed me up very well." The headmaster studied him briefly. "Sorry about the mess I left." Dumbledore waved his apology with a careless hand gesture.

"Yes, Poppy was most surprised that with the exception of the wounds you suffered last night, you are the picture of health, you must live a very healthy lifestyle." Harry refused to let anything show on his face as he nodded, _did Dumbledore know about the stone?_

"I look after myself headmaster." He said neutrally, and Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course, now then Harry, I believe we should get to the crux of the matter."

"And what is that Headmaster?" Dumbledore sighed and looked at Harry carefully

"I believe you know Harry." Harry shook his head carefully, keeping his head carefully blank,

"Well Headmaster, are you referring to my going out after curfew last night? The fact that I fought my father or how I killed your defence professor?" Dumbledore looked frustrated at the games they were playing and bit out sharply

"Remus Lupin, you killed Remus Lupin last night." Dumbledore almost immediately regretted his words when he saw the flash of pain appear in Harry's eyes, before his mask snapped back into place.

"As you say headmaster." Harry finally replied, his eyes cold and hard, Dumbledore sighed, it appeared that after his outburst he had lost Harry, not, he mused, that he had ever had Harry in the first place

"I did not wish to speak in front of the minister Harry, but, well, Mister Longbottom and Miss Grangers accounts of last night do differ slightly to your own." Harry frowned but said nothing,

"They agree with all the events regarding the duel with your father, however they seem to believe that you killed Professor Lupin in cold blood, as well as the rather questionable nature of much of the magic you displayed, I reviewed their memories, and I must say, I agree with them." Harry stayed quiet, his eyes focused on something over Dumbledore's head.

"Headmaster?"

"Harry, I am not here to punish you, what happened last night must have been torture, to have to defend yourself from your father, to have to kill your last relative, the man whose blood flows so strongly in your veins. Harry please understand you have my most profound sympathies."

"Thank you headmaster." Harry's voice was polite as ever, but decidedly stony.

"Harry my boy, I do feel I would be remiss if I did not at least ask if you were alright?" Harry's eyes finally flicked back to Dumbledore's face, but they remained ice cold.

"I am quite alright thank you Headmaster, I do not regret any of my actions last night, I did the right thing." Dumbledore sighed and aged before Harry's eyes.

"I do not believe you believe that Harry." He said, his voice kind, Harry resisted the urge to sneer.

"You are mistaken." Dumbledore didn't let his disappointment show on his face and instead smiled.

"Harry…" he paused, clearly struggling with what he wanted to say, "I am sorry Harry" he said finally.

"Thank you Headmaster, but I assure you, I am alright." The two looked at each other for a moment, before Dumbledore looked away.

"Whilst I cannot personally condone your actions Harry, the school governors are very impressed by your heroics, and have decided to give you a second _Special Award for Services to the School_." Harry blinked in surprise, before nodding his head graciously.

"That is unexpected sir." Dumbledore's eyes remained fixed on Harry's face,

"It is. I must confess that I for one do not approve of rewarding patricide, however… I will bow to the will of our good governors on this occasion."

"Is there anything else Headmaster?" Harry asked, Dumbledore said nothing, and Harry made as though to stand.

"One last thing Harry, I know I asked you this last year, but I will once again ask if there is anything you would like to tell me, anything at all." Dumbledore's voice sounded almost pleading to Harry's ears, but he ignored it.

"Thank you Headmaster, but I once again have nothing to say to you." Dumbledore sighed, but didn't look surprised.

"Very well Harry, in case I don't see you again before the summer, have a very nice holiday." Harry nodded and just before he reached the door, Dumbledore offered one last piece of advice,

"We are never past redemption Harry, never follow a path because you feel you have no other choice." His back to the old man, Harry did finally roll his eyes, the man was just filled with helpful, vague tidbits of information.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The leaving feast that year was a sombre affair. Instead of the Green and Silver for celebrating the Slytherin house cup victory, the hall instead was decorated with black curtains in remembrance of Professor Lupin, as the last plates vanished Dumbledore stood up, he wore a sombre expression and looked around the hall sadly.

"Students, the year is finished. It has certainly been a year of up's and downs, First, I suppose congratulations are in order for Slytherin for winning the house cup for the ninth year running, which is officially a record, so well done Slytherin!" There was a loud cheer from the Slytherin table, but it sounded hollow in the sombre, black decorated room and came to a halt quickly.

"It is a very great loss to us all, that Professor Lupin died last week, I think it is safe to say that anyone who met the man was impressed by his kindness, selflessness and eagerness to pass on his knowledge, his death was unfortunate, and our thoughts are with him as he starts on the next great adventure we all must take in life, therefore may we all raise our glasses to Remus Lupin." The hall quickly raised Goblets,

_Remus Lupin_

The words were said in hushed tones, and Harry saw some of the first year Gryffindor's weeping. Dumbledore let the silence continue for a moment.

"I wish you all a very good summer, and hope you return to Hogwarts for a new year with minds full and ready for what is to come, to our seventh years, I wish you all the best with your lives outside these halls, and I am sure you will all be a credit to your school and chosen profession."

* * *

**Okay then... **

**it's over.**

**Book three is over!**

**What did you think, have I spoiled the fanfic and need to redo the chapter? was it believable, did it show characterisation, did Harry's more human and feeling side disappoint or please?**

_**PLEASE READ THIS PART!**_

**the feedback has been so great lately, and I want to make sure that my fans, who have praised me for so far avoiding the big steaming piles of cliche, are not disapointed.**

**I haven't read many dark Harry fics set in Goblet of Fire, so what things should be avoided at all costs, and what part is a necessity? **

_**Help me good reviewers, you're my only hope...**_

**Hugs and Kisses**

**Marshall Angmar.**


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello, Hello Hello!**

**Welcome to the latest chapter of the story, this one focuses mainly on the summer before 7th year.**

**Thank you all so much for the reviews you've left, we've nearly reached 100, which is far higher than I had expected! you are all so kind and helpful, especially those who wrote in suggestions on what I should and should not do! **

**Please don't stop writing in your thoughts, and feel free to criticise, I can't improve if I don't know what's wrong! **  
**Anyway, I'm glad so many of you were pleased with the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, I tried to keep you all guessing as long as possible, and most said it was a bit of a surprise, so that's pretty awesome.**

**Here we go then, Chapter 14.**

* * *

Chapter 14

"…_and you know you always come first, It feels like I've been struck by a curse."_

Harry frowned as he heard the poor rhymes issuing from the wireless in the living room, he checked his watch in confusion, Miranda wasn't supposed to be home for another couple of hours.

With slow and cautious steps Harry moved to investigate the source of the music, and when he arrived in his sitting room he frowned. Riddle was sat there, elegantly reclined on the sofa, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the soft tunes.

"Good Afternoon Harry." Riddle greeted, his eyes still closed,

"Good Afternoon Tom." Riddle opened his eyes, and Harry stood slightly straighter, Riddle had the ability to create a sense of awe from him, and embarrassing as it was for Harry to admit, he was rather eager to impress the man.

"You will address me properly Harry, I let you have your fun with Lucius, however, I expect you to treat me with the respect you owe." The Dark Lord's voice was soft, his eyes however indicated that this was an order to be upheld always.

"Of course, my Lord." Harry finally said, the words sounding strange on his tongue, Riddle let out a small smile.

"Excellent, now from what I hear you have had a most interesting year, therefore I expect a full report." Tom stood up, his body straightening out as he stood tall.

"Now my Lord?" Harry asked, Riddle released a small grin,

"Not now, no. I am holding a gathering at the Malfoy residence tonight for all of my loyal followers. You shall attend, alone, be there at eight o'clock sharp, I despise tardiness." Harry nodded and the Dark Lord made to walk over towards the door.

Harry waited for him to leave before he summoned Minnie to request a glass of the elixir of life, his hand which his father had cursed had been itching terribly lately, and whilst Madam Pomphrey claimed in would heal with time, Harry would rather speed the process up.

The elf handed him a small tumbler filled with the golden liquid and Harry drank it down in one gulp, feeling the familiar sense of euphoria as the enchanted liquid spread throughout his body, clearing every problem he had in a matter of seconds, he watched the remaining scars on his left hand vanish into unblemished skin and grinned to himself.

The evening passed quickly, Harry told Miranda about his meeting with the Dark Lord that night, and he was surprised by her reaction, rather than being disappointed and frustrated at not having been invited, she seemed relieved, Harry considered that perhaps the time they had had the Dark Lord and Lucius over for Supper had been more scarring than he had thought.

At 7.55 exactly, Harry walked over to the floo, he gave the blonde a quick kiss before stepping into the fire with a pinch of powder. "Malfoy Manor!" he called loudly, and with a whirl of green flames he vanished, his last image being the slightly concerned face of Miranda.

Stepping out of the floo, the first thing he noticed about Malfoy Manor was the incredible wealth on display, he appeared to be in some kind of Antechamber, the walls were tastefully decorated, although the colours were rather subdued and sombre.

The room was empty, so Harry walked towards the only door in the room, brushing a grey spot of soot of double breasted grey coat as he did so. Pulling open the door, Harry's first impression was that the antechamber had been positively Spartan in comparison to the incredible wealth on display in here.

Vast pillars of white speckled black marble rose from the floor, stretching all the way up to the ceiling around 40 feet above his head, the floor was black and white chequered marble and with every step he took, the clack click of his shoes seemed to echo around the vast room. Covering the walls were extravagant oil paintings and murals, whilst Golden Statues and sculptures lurked around the room.

"Mr Potter?" came a regal sounding voice, Harry turned, next to the large staircase that dominated the room was a beautiful woman, her dark hair was arranged elegantly around her face and her robes were an indication that, like this room, she had money, and lots of it.

"Yes, I don't think we have been introduced." Harry answered, his voice as charming as he could make it, the woman gave a polite smile,

"Narcissa Malfoy, Mr Potter, I believe you know my son and Husband."

"I do, it is a pleasure to finally meet Draco's mother." Narcissa smiled rather aloofly, before indicating with one of her hands to one of the many doors that littered the room,

"The meeting is through there, I do not believe _he _has arrived yet, so you are not late." Harry knew exactly who Mrs Malfoy was referring to and nodded politely, walking confidently towards the door.

The room was long, with a low ceiling and elegant black light fittings on the walls and ceiling. The main feature of the room was a large table, easily able to fit twenty people Harry thought, although currently only five were in attendance.

Harry recognised Lucius immediately, although the others were unknown, one was tall, his light brown hair close cropped over thick features and scars which crossed all over his face, next to him was a short rat faced man, he had watery pale blue eyes and a shiny bald patch on top of his head.

Harry however was far more interested in the man sitting opposite Lucius, he was medium height, with a dense, athletic frame, and from the toned muscles he could see, it was clear that this man was stronger than he may first appear. The last man had blue green eyes and black hair, his face was handsome, although he had a rather dangerous look in his eye as he eyed Harry warily.

"Mr Potter." Lucius greeted coldly, Harry gave the man a neutral nod and took a seat next to the man opposite Mr Malfoy.

"Potter?" asked his neighbour, Harry nodded and the man him an interested look. "Evan Rosier." Harry shook the proffered hand, feeling the strength in the grip.

"Why is he here? He's just a kid!" asked the scarred man, Harry kept his face clear of emotion, before turning his ice cold eyes to look at the brute,

"Well," he drawled, "I was invited here at the Dark Lord's behest, so evidently he thinks I can be of some use to him." The man frowned,

"Who do you think you are kid? People who talk to me like that don't tend to survive very long come full moon." He leered at Harry and Harry raised one mocking eyebrow, the man stood angrily

"That will do Fenrir." Called the commanding voice of Riddle from the door. As one the Death Eaters and Harry stood as the Dark Lord walked past them towards the high backed chair at the end of the table.

"Mr Potter, as he correctly pointed out, was invited by myself, as such, his loyalty and presence is beyond contestation." The Dark Lord kept his voice smooth, but the authority in his tone filled the room and the wizards all wisely kept silent.

"Now, to start with I have good news. I have found myself, that is to say, the part of me who was defeated 14 years ago." A few whispers were exchanged at this piece of news, but Harry kept his eyes on the Dark Lord.

"The ritual to combine us will have to be done on the summer solstice, which sadly passed us by two days ago, therefore it will have to wait for one more year." Riddle gave a frustrated little hand gesture but no sign of anger appeared on his face, Riddle faced his followers with a quirked eyebrow, evidently waiting for input, Lucius quickly opened his mouth

"My Lord, There is no reason why we cannot begin operations again immediately, we may currently be few in number, but if you would permit me…." he began, but silenced himself immediately when Riddle raised a hand.

"No Lucius. We shall not be repeating the same mistakes of the last war." Harry frowned at this, but Riddle continued immediately after.

"This time around, we shall gain power not by force, or by might or by violence. Whilst they can gain an empire, they will rarely allow for you to maintain it." He looked at each of the confused looking Death Eaters around the table.

"I have considered this at length and have decided that we shall adopt a more… legitimate approach. Through the wizengamot we shall gain our strength, using force only where necessary." He smiled widely, and Harry was surprised, but then remembered Snapes words, Tom Riddle had been a political idealist, it was only the corruption of Dark Magic that made him the megalomaniac he had become.

"However, we shall not be pursuing this just yet, the main topic for tonight is the coming year. Barty?" The shifty looking man at the end of the table looked up sharply and nodded.

"My Lord. This year at Hogwarts is the Triwizard tournament as you know, I currently have information that 'Mad Eye' Moody is to be returning to Hogwarts as a teacher. Under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion, I shall take his place, whilst at the same time controlling my father."

"That's risky." Rosier pointed out from next to Harry, "to make someone appear realistic with the Imperious it needs your full concentration, it's risky."

"Don't worry Evan, I can handle it." Barty's voice was calm, confident. These five were evidently part of the Dark Lord's closest band of supporters, and Harry knew Riddle would never take advice from anyone who was anything less than extraordinary.

"To maintain such a strong imperious, and to remain able to fool Dumbledore as Moody is a difficult task indeed." Mused Riddle, gaining silence from the room, "Pettigrew, you will assist Mr Crouch with any task he gives you. Am I understood?"

The weedy looking man nodded quickly, his eyes flicking furtively around the room, frequently coming to rest on the door.

"Barty, you will get Neville Longbottom made one of the champions of the tournament, If I remember correctly the names will be chosen by an impartial goblet, so perhaps a confundus charm, I will leave the specifics to you. Once he is in the tournament, it will be far easier to make him vulnerable."

"It will be done my Lord."

"It had best be." Riddle smirked cruelly, his eyes on Pettigrew, "Now Now Peter, from your body language, one might almost think you didn't want to be here."

"My Lord!" the ratty man cried in terror, "Nothing could be further from the truth! I am overjoyed by your return!" the man's voice was squeaky, high pitched and roiling in terror.

"You are a Liar Pettigrew, and a poor one at that." Riddles voice was darkly amused, he drew his wand, which Harry recognised was still Ginny Weaselys, and pointed it at Peter, who paled and fell from the chair to his knees.

"My Lord, please, I have not deserted you, I have missed you, I swear my Lord." Riddle's lip curled disgustedly, slowly the tip of Riddles wand began to glow an ominous green.

"Get out you disgusting little worm." Pettigrew was sobbing and Riddle chuckled darkly as a dark stain became evident on the man's trousers.

"Leave." The wretched man stood and scuttled to the door, hurrying out with several deep bows.

"I am sorry to saddle you with him Barty, I trust he will not get in your way too much?" The rest of the room, which had been in awed silence suddenly returned to normal, Crouch assured the Dark Lord that it did not matter and the meeting resumed.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

By midnight that night, it appeared that the plan had been settled. Harry would continue his vigil over Longbottom, ensuring he stayed safe, whilst assisting Barty wherever possible, Whilst Barty was to enter the Boy Saviour into the tournament. It sounded to Harry like a rather convoluted plot, however Riddle was clearly in possession of some information that the rest were unaware of, for he seemed satisfied, despite the rather obvious problems.

"Excellent Gentlemen. You may leave, Mr Potter, stay behind. We have much to discuss." The room emptied quickly, most of the Death Eaters giving Harry lingering glances as they vacated the room, leaving Harry alone with the Dark Lord.

"You are not satisfied with the design I have come up with tonight?"

"It is not my place to disagree my Lord." Harry replied, though his tone indicated that he did have a problem.

"Don't be absurd Harry, I have no time for sycophants or yes men. Speak your mind."

"Well, it seems rather unnecessarily difficult, I do not understand why we must put Longbottom in the tournament at Halloween. This gives Dumbledore much of the school year to discover any plans, with the current plan, Dumbledore's suspicions will be raised, that is inevitable, and we cannot underestimate Albus Dumbledore."

"Why did you not voice these concerns earlier?" Riddle asked, his tone slightly mocking, although his face expressed some interest.

"It was clear that you know something you aren't telling us."

"You are correct." Riddle steepled his fingers in front of his face, leaning forward in his seat, the flickering lights of the torches casting his face in shadow.

"As I am sure you have discovered Harry, there are some rather severe problems with the overuse of Dark Magic." Harry nodded, "Well, my counterpart has clearly suffered rather greatly at the hands of this corruption."

"You are concerned that it will affect you both if you are combined."

"Correct, this plan leaves me free to search for an answer without having to manage operations at the same time."

"I was under the impression such purification was impossible." Riddle frowned slightly, his eyes being lost in shadow.

"It is said to be permanent yes. However, I believe that with enough time, I will find a ritual to cleanse my other half, or failing that, I will create a new one." Harry blinked in surprise,

"And would you be generous with this new information when you gain it?"

"Aha, have you begun to have problems?" Harry nodded, and Riddle grinned,

"It is most frustrating isn't it? I remember once cursing Felicity Howlett because she suggested herself to be the best potions brewer in Hogwarts, most mortifying. I would be prepared to share the knowledge with you, should you continue to serve me well."

They fell into a brief silence, whilst Harry watched the flickering light dance across the walls and Riddle studied his face intently.

"I do not hold it against you for killing your father."

"You don't?" Harry asked, mildly surprised,

"No, Azkaban did a number on him, from what I know of his mental state, he would have been useless to me."

Harry kept silent, he was embarrassed by himself as he felt his emotions boiling beneath the surface, Anger, Pity, Guilt.

"I suppose we have a new thing we can add to what we have in common." Harry frowned curiously, Riddle gave a cruel grin, "I too killed my father in my sixth year, and he was a pathetic wretch."

Harry was shocked, all the time Harry had known him, Riddle had volunteered very little of his life story. The two stared at each other, Riddles eyes looked red in the firelight and Harry repressed a shiver at the strength the orbs contained.

"As for the Werewolf, Good Riddance, Lucius tells me that Remus Lupin was a thorn in the side of my operations for many years, Congratulations on your order of Merlin, Second Class, most impressive, perhaps you should kill some more of your teachers." Harry nodded at the praise and smirked slightly.

"I trust you will enter the tournament?"

"I thought Neville would represent Hogwarts?"

"Unlikely, it would be far easier to trick the judge into believing Neville represents a fourth school, rather than force the cup into accepting a specific candidate, it will be an excellent challenge to take on the best of Europe." Harry nodded, and with a small grin agreed that entering the tournament would be enlightening.

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Following the meeting, Harry had enjoyed a rather relaxed summer, the highlight of which had been his seventeenth birthday, he had a great deal of fun simply charming objects around the house, after all, who would walk to pick up a plate, when he could summon one, or conjure one, or transfigure one, or gain a plate in at least a dozen other ways.

He had very little planned, with the exception of joining Olivia in the family box for the Quidditch World Cup final. Ireland were playing Bulgaria, and it was speculated to be the best match of the decade.

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As Harry and Miranda appeared at the campsite, where they would be spending the night after the match, Harry grinned. The camp was so incredibly magical that it was laughable that anyone could ever think it not, As Harry passed a patrol of Aurors laughing at a couple of Dancing Leprechauns, he realised that the Ministry must have abandoned the effort for subtlety.

They spent the day comfortably, several of Harry's friends were there, and as he wandered the campsite that afternoon he caught sight of what appeared to be most of Hogwarts. He greeted friends and argued the finer points of the game of Quidditch, and which team was superior. There was so much to do in the international magical gathering that the whole afternoon was spent busy. Before too long, the light had faded and the match was about to begin.

A hush had fallen over the entire camp as the mass exodus towards the enormous stands began. Cheers and cries in a multitude of languages swam out towards Harry's ears and he grinned widely in anticipation, caught as he was in the middle of the Irish cheering and singing.

"Tickets please." Asked a harassed looking wizard, Harry and Miranda handed over the shiny yellow pieces of parchment and the wizard looked at them under a light from his wand.

"Players box, penultimate floor, just below the top box take these stairs and keep climbing. Next."

The man hadn't been kidding, the staircase seemed to go on forever. However finally on level 34, they finally reached the box with the label

_**Players Box  
Reserved.**_

It was a large and rather spacious room they found themselves in, at least 20 metres long, with one wall open to the environment, of the one hundred or so seats available, around twenty were already filled, and the two of them walked over to Olivia, who was completely decked out in green merchandise.

"Harry! Miranda!" she shouted happily, quickly pulling Harry into a hug, "isn't this amazing?" Harry grinned and nodded, Miranda tried to hide her smile behind a hand, but was rather unsuccessful.

"Do either of you want something to drink? We've got butterbeer, pumpkin juice, chilled water or firewhiskey." She offered, gesturing to a crate at her side, if her attitude was anything to go by, it was apparent she had already had quite a lot to drink.

"I'll have a whisky, Miranda?"

"Butterbeer, I think it wise if one of us stays sober." Harry rolled his eyes theatrically at Olivia as he accepted the generous measure of the amber liquid, sipping it deeply.

They got to chatting as the seats filled up around them, a family of surly Bulgarians sat next to Miranda, and given the outfit of the young son in the family it was clear that they were supporters of Viktor Krum, Bulgaria's seeker.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen!" _Came a loud shout, "_Ladies and Gentlemen, Quiet Please!"_

Slowly, a hush began to fall over the vast stadium, capable of seating 90,000 people.

"_Welcome to the final of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup!"_ The quiet was replaced by a gargantuan roar, the crowd bellowing their approval, shaking the very walls of their box. Harry cheered whilst Olivia next to him was performing a small Irish dance and attempting to drink from her very full glass at the same time, the result being a large amount of firewhiskey pouring down her _MORAN_ jersey.

"_Without Further ado, let's introduce the teams, Representing Ireland… Ryan, Quigley, Connelly, Troy, Mullet, Moran" _(this was greeted with a huge roar from Harry and Olivia, whilst Miranda Whooped, somehow appearing refined as she did so.) "annnndddd….. LYNCH!" There came a massive cry as the seven players shot out into the stadium.

The players appeared merely as seven green robed blurs, and Harry focused the omnioculars on Bonnie's face, she was looking very determined, and had her hair tightly done up.

"_And Representing Bulgaria, May I present… Volkov, Vulchanov, Dimitrov, Levski, Ivanova annnndddd KRUM!"_

The Bulgarian seeker received a huge hand as his name was called and the cheering got louder and louder, the mascots were introduced, but Harry didn't pay them much mind, he was fearful that appearing too interested in the Veela could spell his downfall, what with the rather short tempered witch next to him.

When asked in the future what had happened in the match, Harry would honestly struggle to recall in detail, whether this was because he and Olivia had together managed to drink most of a bottle of Firewhiskey between them or because he had been too caught up in the events, he wasn't sure, he knew that Ireland won, and that Krum had caught the snitch, but that was about it.

Following the victory, Harry, who was holding hands with Miranda was dragged by Olivia back to congratulate her sister. The mood in the Irish tent was euphoric, there were press, families and friends singing and cheering and crying.

Standing in pride of place amongst the happy players stood the World Cup. It was enormous, easily twice the size of the Hogwarts Quidditch cup, and glowed with a soft Golden Light.

The celebrations continued long into the night, around one in the morning, the large party had all apparated to a vast mansion which had been chosen as the ideal place to spend the evening. Harry and Miranda, being two of only four English people in attendance were slightly out of their depth as the Irish team and supporters forced them to jig on the table, which, considering the amount of alcohol consumed, was a rather bad idea.

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"Harry?"

"…"

"Harry!" Harry jerked awake with a start, he immediately regretted his decision as his head pounded painfully. He cracked open his eyes, groaning painfully at the light.

"For Goodness sake Potter, here." Harry felt a goblet being passed into his hand and sipped softly. He recognised the flavour as that of a Hangover Draught and quickly gulped the rest down, feeling better immediately.

"Good Morning Quidditch Champion." He grinned weakly, Bonnie rolled her eyes as she put her hands under his arms and lifted. Harry was impressed by her strength as she easily picked him up off the floor.

"You made a right fool of yourself last night Harry." She said with a grin, "Fortunately so did everyone else, so I doubt you'll get too much trouble!"

Harry took a moment to take stock of his surroundings, he had been asleep under a bench behind the house, a large empty bottle of Mead next to his _bed_ and a snoring Olivia passed out on top of the same bench.

"Where's Miranda?" he asked dazedly, rubbing a hand through his short hair.

"She left bloody hours ago, I don't think she fancied looking after you really." Harry took a deep breath to calm his roiling stomach.

"What time is it?" he eventually asked,

"10.30, everyone's just getting up, I think we're having breakfast soon." Harry nodded, breakfast sounded good. Followed by a shower. Then sleep. _Maybe sleep, _then_ shower._

Harry roused his unconscious Irish friend and together they made their way inside, stepping over the scattered bodies of unconscious Quidditch players, and wading through the empty bottles.

Simply following their noses proved enough to find breakfast. The dining room table had been piled high with sausages, bacon, eggs, toast, beans and other fried food.

With a grin, Harry set about making himself a large sandwich, four rashers of bacon, two sausages, a fried egg, grated cheese, another egg, two more slices of bacon and then a spoon of beans, the signature Potter post party food.

As soon as the greasy food struck his stomach he felt better, and also less likely to throw up at any moment. He yawned widely, which set off a chain reaction, as down the table, the twenty or so witches and wizards each yawned just as widely.

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Following the rather extravagant post match party, Harry discovered that he was rather in the doghouse with Miranda, apparently trying to prove he could dive off a broomstick into a swimming pool was not the correct behaviour for a man of his age. The fact that Harry had no memory of this incident, indeed, no memory of nearly the entire night made no difference, Harry was guilty.

He therefore spent much of his time acting as the perfect boyfriend to Miranda, he took her out for spontaneous dinners-, listened (with genuine interest) as she complained about her job, and the corruption in the ministry. Harry rather thought that Miranda was having a bit too much fun punishing him, but dared not bring it up, lest she give him another lecture.

Harry was rather delighted when, in addition to his usual Hogwarts letter, Harry received the Head Boy badge, considering Dumbledore's growing scepticism of his morals, Harry rather suspected that the board of Governors had had a rather significant role in choosing him.

When the end of the holiday arrived, Harry spent a long time giving Miranda a tender goodbye, before with a final grin he apparated to Platform 9 3/4s, taking his usual carriage and kicking out two Ravenclaw second years.

Before long, Harry was joined by Clara and Graham, both of whom had clearly just returned from a holiday. They were followed shortly after by Olivia, then Marcus and Terrence. The group easily chatted about their summers, and there was a lot of envy directed at Harry and Olivia for being able to party with the Irish Quidditch team, which they had taken with only a few smug smirks.

"I don't believe you." Clara shouted at Harry as he showed her his head boy badge.

"You kill a teacher and the natural response is to make you the most important pupil in the school!" Marcus joked,

"Naturally." Harry smirked broadly, the ribbing continued and Harry enjoyed the familiar sense of normalcy, his summer this year had been filled with rather obscure and concerning events, the opportunity to simply relax with his closest friends was someone rather enjoyable.

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"… And I regret to announce that this year, there shall be no Interhouse Quidditch cup, this is because…" Dumbledore was forced to stop speaking as the roar of protest rose in the Great Hall. The noise and shouts continued for a few minutes, before Dumbledore used his wand to make a blast like a cannon, instantly quieting the student body.

"As I was saying this is because of an event being held at Hogwarts this year. Although it has been two centuries since it was last attempted, we have decided to reintroduce the tri-wizard tournament to Hogwarts!"

There was silence for a moment, followed by a sea of whispers. The Weasely twins shouted "_Your Joking!" _from the Gryffindor table and everyone laughed,

"I am not joking Mr Weasely, although that does remind me of an excellent one I heard over the summer, A witch, a warlock, a goblin and a hag all go into a bar…" He noticed McGonagalls frown and Dumbledore cleared his throat with an embarrassed chuckle, "Another time perhaps."

"The Triwizard tournament for those of you who do not know is a competition between the three top magical education institutions of Europe, Hogwarts, Beauxbatonss and Durmstrang." Dumbledore raised his hands for silence before continuing.

"This year, in addition to the normal three tasks facing individual school champions, we shall also have an interschool duelling tournament with two school champions, one of whom will be the individual school champion, organised by professor Flitwick, an Interschool Quidditch Tournament organised by Madam Hooch, and an academic school tournament run by Professor Sinistra" This got loud cheers and Dumbledore smiled widely.

"Because of the dangerous nature of the tasks, only those in their seventh year or who are seventeen may enter the individual main tournament, the other aspects are open to all ages. I ask for students to ask the professors mentioned for information regarding applications, This is a very big event for our school, and for the Duration of the Year, Hogwarts will be playing host to a delegation from each school, who I am sure will be treated with the greatest of respect."

"The final announcement tonight is that I am very pleased to introduce our new defence against the dark arts teacher, Professor Moody, who will be replacing Professor Lupin, teaching the lower years defence, whilst Professor Black remains teaching our NEWT students."

Professor Moody, who Harry knew to be Barty in disguise gave a gruff wave to the crowd but said nothing.

As the Seventh Years made their way back to the common room, the main conversation was on the upcoming tournament.

"I'm entering!" Marcus stated strongly, "Everything but the academic competition, Quidditch, Duelling, Individual tasks are all right up my street!"

"What about you Harry?" asked Clara, "If you enter everything, you'll spoil the fun for the rest of us, it wouldn't be fun if no one else represents Hogwarts!"

"I wouldn't get onto the Quidditch team Clara, have you seen me on a broom? I can barely catch a Quaffle!" They all laughed,

"I thought I'd enter the Duelling, Academic and individual tasks, I might get one that way." The conversation continued excitedly, all the way back to the common room, and then long into the night as they tried to decide who would best represent Hogwarts.

**There we go, It's more of a filler for you guys, just to answer some of the questions posed in reviews, Some of you suggested there being no purpose to me writing a triwizard tournament, as Voldemort wouldn't waste a year waiting for Neville, which I agreed with, but I hope the reasoning behind this year of is okay.**

**Please review, just to give me your thoughts. You will be pleased to know that I have now completed my skeleton outline for post Hogwarts, It is quite cool, but I'm sorry to all those who requested it, at the moment Harry will not be doing a world tour, however there will be some travelling.**

**Much Love **


	16. Chapter 15

**Here we go!**

**It's chapter 15, the big one, the one we've all been waiting for.**

**I know some of you are angry that I put the tournament in in the first place, but its such a great literary device, a way that I can demonstrate Harry's skills and power without him seeming like a pyscho nutter, so I hope you understand that.**

**I also would like for people to try to understand how Harry feels about the fact that he killed his dad. He is a closed off person, even at his most emotionally vulnerable he would still be considered cold on a normal scale, therefore he has repressed all these feelings and this hurt and attempts to deny he even feels it, although of course it can bubble up at the most inopportune times! **

**shout out to sarah-rose76646 who was the 100th reviewer of this fic, I read them all and love the feedback, especially those of you who review frequently, you really have helped develop the story as I write it and I would name you all, however I fear I would forget something and upset one of you, which really would not do.**

**Anyhoo, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 15

The excitement surrounding the announcement of the Triwizard tournament lasted for several weeks. Harry had passed at least two dozen conversations involving students declaring that they would become school champion or one of the duelling champions, whilst every Quidditch player seemed convinced that they would represent Hogwarts. In Harry's eyes it was comical that anyone below a sixth year would become a duelling champion, and he had chuckled when he passed by Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasely arguing about who would get a spot on the duelling team.

The first day back, Harry noticed that several notices had gone up in the board, requesting students to apply for the Triwizard event they wished to attempt to get. As could be expected, the entire Quidditch team plus several others applied to play Quidditch, nearly every student in the school applied to the duelling team and there were hardly a lack of applicants for the academic team as well.

Harry had considered it for only the briefest moment before signing himself up for the academic and duelling aspects. Whilst he was confident he was the best duellist in the school, he tended to neglect his academic work in non-spell subjects, and thought it unlikely that he would be picked to be part of the six man team.

The duelling try-out quickly became the top topic of discussion in the rumour mill as it appeared that every student from second to Seventh year had applied. There was only one duelling spot available, the other Hogwarts duellist position would go to the school champion. Nevertheless on Saturday morning at 10 am, Harry made his way down to the great Hall for the start of the selection process.

The great hall had once again been stripped of the chairs and tables, and now there stood 2 amateur duelling strips and two Duelling Rings. The Rings were large circles, with a radius of 30 feet, allowing the combatants far more manoeuvrability than in the school strips. The room was packed, and the noise deafening as every student boasted to his or her friends about their apparently prodigious skills.

"Good Morning Students!" greeted the ever cheerful Flitwick, as he stepped up onto the stage, making his diminutive stature visible to all those gathered. He was joined onstage by Professor Black, Professor Moody and Professor Snape, Black looked cheerful, Moody typically gruff and Snape bored.

"I thought we could work through the year groups" called Flitwick, "Then the best four from each year will continue, and from then on we shall whittle you down to one. Now, I have somewhere…" he rifled through the large stack of Parchment he was carrying for a moment,

"Yes, here. This is the list of second years who have put their names down." He looked at the list for a moment, "Mr Blake onto ring number one with Miss Brown, Miss Choke and Miss Allison, Ring two, Mr's Thomas and Rowland, strip three and Mr Wilson and Miss Wigan, strip four."

The second year duels took a long time, the students knew very few spells, and the few they did know they bellowed out with large flourishes of their wands. Unfortunately, only half the second years knew how to disarm their opponents, and only two of them knew a basic shield, leading to painfully dull, long winded duels.

Finally the second years were reduced to four and the third years began, it was slightly better, most of them could disarm and had toned down their screaming for spellcasting, but they were still dull and lacked style, the same could be true of the fourth years. By fifth year, most students knew shield charms and had an array of offensive charms and curses at their disposal, however very few appeared to have any effective duelling techniques, instead hurling spells around and hoping for the best.

When the sixth years finally finished, it was lunchtime and Harry was starving. He knew that he could beat anyone he had seen duel so far with one hand tied behind his back, but as he knew, it was only during the summer term of one's sixth year that students were actually instructed in good duelling techniques, so it went without saying that the good opponents would be in his own year.

Professor Flitwick had arranged for a service of House elves with sandwiches to be delivered to the students, and Harry sat down on the floor with the rest of the Slytherins and wolfed down several with a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Excited Harry?"

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Professor Flitwick smiling broadly at him. "Very Professor, I'm glad that I'll finally be able to do something, it's been a long morning!" Flitwick laughed,

"I agree, I don't understand how a second year thought they could out duel the crème of the continent, however, We must give everyone a fair shot, thank goodness we didn't have any first year applicants, none of them know any spells and it tends to be shooting sparks for half an hour." Harry grinned and the small professor chuckled warmly.

"Can I offer you a sandwich professor, you are welcome to join us for Lunch if you wish." Harry asked charmingly. Flitwick smiled appreciatively and sat down.

"Thank you Harry, Ah, Mr Flint, Miss Moran, I'm glad you are here, as with you Mr Higgs, all very talented at charms, so I'm sure we will have some excellent duels this afternoon!" The small professor's enthusiasm was infectious, and the Seventh Years enjoyed their conversation.

"Well, I think that's it, let's get on with the seventh years hmm?" he grinned broadly before hurrying off and hopping onto the stage with elegance unexpected from his size.

"Students, I think the seventh years have waited long enough, so shall we have our first duels?" there were cheers from the crowd, the seventh years duels would obviously be the most exciting and there was a high amount of anticipation in the crowd.

"Mr Berridge and Mr Flint, Ring one, Miss Walters and Miss Walters, Ring two, Mr Wale and Mr Stone, strip three and Miss Montague and Mr Diggory, strip four."

Harry cheered happily as his friends began their duels, it quickly became apparent that Clara was far outclassed by Cedric, he had her on the defensive from the first spell, However Marcus was proving to be quite the opposite. His aggressive tactic of _bombardment_ and _reductor_ curses prevented Berridge, his opponent from managing to get a single spell off.

The first round ended, with Marcus and Cedric progressing, alongside Walters and Wale. Harry made his way over to check which round he was in, and discovered it to be Ring two, in round three and that he would be against Roger Davies.

Harry glanced up, and easily found the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, the boy was looking at him nervously, Harry's duel in his fifth year had become legend amongst the students, and Harry gave the boy a cruel smirk as they waited for the end of the second round.

"Ring one, Mr Montague and Miss Colne, Ring two, Mr Potter and Mr Davies, strip three, Mr Higgs and Miss Johnson."

Harry shrugged off his light jacket, leaving him in a tightfitting blue shirt and beige trousers, he grinned and rolled up his sleeves, cracking his neck as he strode up to the centre of the ring, where Professor Flitwick awaited him with Davies, who had started to sweat slightly.

"Mr Potter, Mr Davies, this duel will be like the others, following international Duelling laws, are you aware of the rules?" Both Combatants nodded and Flitwick continued, "Okay then Gentlemen, shake hands." Harry shook Rogers's hand, smirking wider as he felt the boy's clammy palm.

"On Ring two, Our Head Boy faces Ravenclaw prefect Roger Davies. Gentlemen, are you ready?" Flitwick called loudly, his voice carrying across the hall, Harry was pleased to note that theirs was the halls main attraction.

"Gentlemen, obey my instructions at all times, defend yourselves at all times. Three, two, one… Duel!"

Harry anticipated that Roger, being inexperienced would send the first Volley, and he was proven right as three red stunners flew towards him, Harry stepped lightly to the left and avoided them with ease,

_Furnunculus, Stupefy, Rictumsempera._

Roger hastily erected a shield and Harry grinned, he took several steps forward, maintaining a constant barrage of silent stunning spells as he advanced.

When he was only was only feet from roger, Harry sent a quick Shield breaking curse, which caused the Ravenclaw to stumble. Quick as a flash Harry darted forward and with a hard jab hit the boy in the face with his fist. Roger blinked twice, before collapsing in an unconscious heap at Harry's feet.

Harry smirked and checked his watch, 29 Seconds, not bad.

"With Mr Davies unable to continue, Harry Potter advances to the next round!" Announced Flitwick from behind him, Harry turned and shook the professor's hand with a small smile.

The wait for the Seventh year's first rounds didn't take long, by two thirty, Only 16 students remained. Harry was paired up against Marcus and was easily able to beat his friend with only the smallest bit of finesse.

His next opponent was Gryffindor Chaser and head girl Alicia Spinnet, she looked confident striding around the stage, and Harry gave her a grin, which she returned.

"Mr Potter, Miss Spinnet, Obey my instructions at all times, defend yourselves at all times. 3, 2, 1… Duel!" Cried out Professor Black, as he looked murderously at Harry.

Alicia did nothing, and Harry stood stock still, balanced on the balls of his feet. Ten seconds passed, twenty, thirty. Harry caught Alicia's eye and winked as he saw the look of intense concentration on her face.

With a sudden feint left, Harry dived right and snapped out a blistering charm. Alicia ducked below the spell and responded by summoning a flock of birds and sending them at Harry.

With a flick of his wand, the eight little finches suddenly merged into one eagle, which Harry sent towards the Gryffindor with a flick of his wand. Alicia gave a shriek as she saw the bird of prey racing at her, large talons extended.

With a broad stroke of her wand, the bird was sawn in half and fell from the sky in a puff of crimson and feathers, Harry dodged her volley of banishing and cutting curses and transfigured the dead bird into a tiger, which he had dive at the Gryffindor. Just as the tiger was about to be struck by a blasting curse, Harry transfigured it again into two dozen rats, two of them were caught in the curse, but the rest landed all over the Gryffindor. Alicia screamed and tried to shake off the rodents. Harry took his opportunity and with a casual stunning charm had the girl on the floor.

"Miss Spinnet is unable to continue. Potter wins." Ground out Black, glaring at Harry with such intensity that Harry almost laughed.

"Well done Harry!" Called out Olivia when he stepped off the Platform, "You're in the final twenty four, and half of those are incompetent!"

Olivia was proven correct in the afternoon's duels. To weed out the weaker members, the second years were paired with fourth years, the third years with fifth years and so on. Harry was up against a pretty Chinese girl called Cho Chang, however, despite her looks, the girl was hardly a capable opponent for Harry.

Neither it turned out, was the person Harry faced after her, Neville Longbottom. Neville strode out onto the strip and stood opposite Harry. The boy, in Harry's opinion, looked confident and held his wand ready. Harry shook his head.

"3, 2, 1… Duel!" called Snape, his voice curt.

Harry immediately sent a blasting curse at Neville, striking him in the stomach and knocking him clean off his feet.

Neville staggered to his feet, and yelled out the full body bind, Harry lazily raised a shield and responding with a retching curse.

The duel lasted only two minutes, by the end of that time, Neville had spent most of it on the ground, and by the end had tears in his eyes and was still twitching from Harry's electrocution curse.

"Longbottom has released control of his wand. Potter Wins." Snape Drawled, his eyes glimmering softly. Harry smirked broadly.

He had the next round to himself, and sat back, enjoying the chance to catch his breath, not that he had expended too much energy in the last few duels as it was. He watched with interest as Terrence was defeated by Cedric, Leaving Harry and Cedric as the two finalists for the schools position of duelling champion.

However, whilst Harry hadn't been struck by a single curse, and aside from a patch of soot on his arm, He was blemish free, Cedric had a cut shoulder and appeared absolutely exhausted. He staggered over to Harry, and grinned at him through a bruised eye.

"Why do I get the feeling you haven't even broken a sweat yet Harry?" he asked with a grin, Harry said nothing, instead he drew his wand, and with a muttered incantation cast the strongest healing charm he knew on his friends shoulder. Cedric winced, before rolling his arm experimentally.

"Thanks mate. Not that that will make it any more even!" he said with a grin.

"Indeed, you are buggered Diggory." Harry deadpanned with a wide grin, Cedric gave him a friendly smack on the shoulder.

"Potter, one day I will beat you at something, and when that happens I want you to remember this moment." Harry grinned,

"It's not today though Cedric!" the Hufflepuff shrugged and sat down, catching his breath.

"Mr Potter, Mr Diggory, I believe it is time." Called Flitwick from the stage.

"Gentlemen, this is a standard duel according to international rules, obey my instructions at all times, defend yourselves at all times."

"3, 2, 1… Duel!"

Cedric immediately sent out a varied string of cutters and blasting hexes at Harry, the head boy dodged to the left, keeping his profile low, whilst he reflected as many of the curses as he could at the tired Hufflepuff. Cedric kept his barrage up for several seconds before jumping right and casting a smoke hex. The dense grey fumes completely concealed the Hufflepuff and Harry growled.

He stabbed his wand straight up before pointing it at the smoke, a sudden gust of wind slowly dissipated the mist, leaving Cedric exposed. Before Harry could cast however, Cedric released a navy blue spell that Harry didn't recognise, diving to the left, Harry dodged the curse, feeling the air crackle as it just passed his head.

Harry stood and sent a silent gouging hex at the Hufflepuff at the same time that Cedric sent a stunner at him, the two spells collided in mid-air with a noise like a cannon and exploded, saturating the area with magical energy. Cedric dived to the left to avoid Harry's impediment jinx and fell awkwardly.

Harry gave a complicated twist of his wand, conjuring a dozen rubber balls from mid-air which he shot at Cedric. This was a tactic Professor McGonagall had told him about, when he couldn't find anything to transfigure in a fight, it was a perfectly viable option to create something entirely new.

Cedric evidently knew of his tactic, for he quickly vanished half the balls, the rest however Harry quickly formed into hundreds of flies, which he had swarm around Cedrics face. If Harry was feeling vindictive, he would have done the same thing, although with hornets or wasps.

"Incendio!" shouted Cedric, burning much of the swarm with a sweep of his wand, Harry saw an opening and quickly sent a blasting curse at Cedric. The spell caught his thigh, and he yelled as the bone cracked loudly. As the boy dropped to the floor, Harry sent a disarming charm to finish the duel and caught the wand as it flew towards him.

Ignoring Professor Flitwick's announcement that Harry was the winner, the boy hurried over to his downed Hufflepuff friend, with two waves of his wand, he was able to numb the area and straighten the bone. Cedric sighed in relief as the magic stopped the pain. Harry gave him a guilty smile and Cedric chuckled.

"And that was necessary was it Potter?" he asked jokingly, Harry shrugged.

"You left your defences open, you can't blame me for taking an opening." Cedric growled, although the effect was ruined when he broke out into a smile.

"Good duel Harry."

"Indeed Mr Potter, your technique is fascinating, it's masterful to behold!" chipped in Professor Flitwick from behind Cedric. Harry blushed slightly, he held Professor Flitwick's opinion very highly, and as such felt the praise to be truly earned.

Following the announcement of Harry as Duelling champion, the head boy immediately cancelled his application to join the academic team, it wouldn't do after all to have too busy a year.

The weeks towards the arrival of the foreign students passed quickly for Harry, when he wasn't being worked to the bone by his teachers in preparation for NEWT's, he would find himself training with Professor Flitwick and Professor Moody in Duelling.

Harry knew that Barty was a good fighter, and evidently he was eager to teach Harry, because the disguised man spent many hours a week instructing him. The two professors had very different styles of duelling, given his small stature, Flitwick relied on superior agility and speed, dodging spells and shielding rarely. Moody on the other hand followed a completely different tactic. He stood in the centre of the ring, cast the strongest shield he could and proceeded to wear his opponent down with a withering hail of brutally powerful spells.

Harry had lost his first duel to Barty. The disguised Death Eater had years of combat experience, whilst Harry tended to limit himself to accepted duelling techniques. The defence professor taught him irregularity and surprise, stopping him finding a rhythm an opponent could understand, whilst Flitwick taught him speed casting, the ability to fire off three curses before your opponent had drawn their wand was an obvious advantage indeed.

Whilst Harry loved the training, and often spent several hours in the library researching new techniques, it did have the problem of exhausting him for hours afterwards, and sadly few of his teachers, Professor Flitwick included, didn't seem to agree with him that the training sessions were a valid excuse for missing homework.

On the evening of October 30th, the exchange students finally arrived and Harry stood at the front of the body of students on the front lawn waiting to greet them. As head boy, it was Harry's job to act as a sort of student overseer to the students, alongside Alicia Spinnet who stood next to him. The night was cold, and whilst Harrys warming charms kept him at a balmy temperature, the green eyed Slytherin was secretly chuckling to himself as his female counterpart next to him shivered frequently.

"Aha!" called Dumbledore, "unless I am very much mistaken, it would appear that our friends from France have arrived!" Harry looked around but saw nothing. He followed the direction of the pointed fingers around him and saw an enormous carriage being pulled by a dozen winged horses begin to descend onto the lawn.

Harry quickly realised that his initial assessment about the carriage was wrong, it wasn't enormous, it was vast, gargantuan, a behemoth, it could have fit a modest town house in itself with ease, and the horses that pulled it were easily twice the size of normal beasts.

The contraption landed with a smash and slowed to a gentle halt, Harry watched impassively as from within appeared an enormous foot, followed by an equal large leg, which it was soon revealed belonged to a giant woman.

"My dear Madam Maxime!" greeted Dumbledore, his voice echoing around the lawn, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I must commend you on your excellent carriage, a magnificent contraption!" the old headmaster kissed the giant's hand, barely needing to bend his neck to reach her massive knuckles.

"Thank you Dumbleydoor, It eez a pleasure to return to 'ogwarts." Her voice was deep and heavily accented, behind her, Harry noted that around 15 people had gathered, given their powder blue uniforms and age, Harry guessed that they must be the pupils of Beauxbatons.

"Dumbleydoor, my pupils are very tired and cold, if zey could be allowed inside?" she asked, Dumbledore nodded and turn to Alicia,

"Miss Spinnet, perhaps you could escort our guests to the Great Hall?" Alicia nodded and walked forward smiling, she greeted the French students warmly in French, before leading them and Madam Maxime towards the castle.

Silence returned to the lawn as they awaited their guest. Harry frowned as he looked at his watch, the Durmstrang pupils were already fifteen minutes late.

"Patience Harry, Patience, you too would perhaps be late if you had travelled quite so far." Dumbledore told him kindly, his voice filled with wisdom. Harry said nothing, only straightening his back and standing tall as he waited.

Eventually, after several minutes there came a loud sucking noise, and the Hogwarts students gasped in horror as a vast three masted sailing ship burst forth from the depths of the lake, vast great waves being thrown up as it sailed towards the bank.

As it neared the shore the ship slowed to a halt and a large anchor was dropped from the front.

"Albus!" came a loud eastern European voice from the deck, "How are you my dear old friend?"

"Blooming thank you Igor, and yourself?" The man, Igor, stepped along a broad wooden plank and onto the lawn before the headmaster.

"Very good, I must say it is good to be back. Dear Old Hogvarts!" His voice was unctuous and oily and reminded Harry of the smell of rotting flowers.

"Aha, I see your pupils are joining us!" Dumbledore cried happily as fifteen large figures disembarked. They marched in a militaristic fashion, coming to a sharp halt a few feet behind their headmaster.

"Yes. Yes, they have had a rough journey and look forvard to the comforts of food!" Igor laughed loudly, the noise was nasally and unpleasant.

"Of course. Madam Maxine has already arrived and awaits us in the hall. Harry?" Dumbledore turned towards him and gestured. Harry approached the Durmstrang contingent confidently.

"This is Harry Potter, our Head Boy, and he would be happy to show you the way towards the great hall." Igor twirled his finger around his goatee and smiled at Harry, showing rather crooked teeth.

"Thank you Mr Potter, I am Highmaster Karkaroff." Harry shook the man's hand confidently, feeling the rather weak grip the man exerted.

"If you and your students would follow me Highmaster?" Harry asked politely. Karkaroff turned and with a few harsh words of what Harry believed to be German the Durmstrang students followed Harry in the same martial step, their movements contrasting with Harry's own graceful steps.

The great hall was pleasantly warm after the cold air outside. Harry invited the students to sit at whichever table they wished before settling himself at the Slytherin table.

Soon enough, the tables were filled with children once more and the feast began. Harry noted with interest that there seemed to be a larger variety of plates on offer than usual and he presumed this to be aimed at impressing their new guests.

"You eat like this each day?" asked a sharp faced Durmstrang girl next to Harry, he shook his head.

"I am afraid not, this is a special feast, but typically there would be an impressive spread of food available." The girl looked impressed, "You do not have such variety in Durmstrang?"

"No, we have food, of course. But is more simpler." Conversation was a little awkward between the aloof Slytherins and hard Durmstrang contingent at first, but as the meal progressed and people loosened up a little, Harry noted that conversation seemed to flow a little easier.

"Harry!" called Marcus in a stage whisper, Harry turned to face with an amused smile, the boy was jerking his head at a Durmstrang boy and mouthing something at Harry.

"Crumb?" Harry asked puzzled, Marcus slapped his forehead in frustration,

"No, Krum, Viktor Krum!" Harry looked at the boy Marcus was gesturing at in shock and realised the Slytherin Chaser was right, Viktor Krum, the best seeker in the world was sitting just six chairs away from Harry. He seemed to be studiously ignoring the whispering going on around him, and was sat between two large boys who appeared to be taking on the role of bodyguards.

"Act natural." Harry mouthed to Marcus, who clearly understood as he went back to his food, although he did frequently steal glances at the Durmstrang champion.

Harry went back to his plate, picking up a forkful of garlic stuffed mushroom and putting it in his mouth. As he was chewing, a girl with dark blonde hair caught his attention, she was gazing around the hall, her gaze shrewd and calculating.

"I don't believe we've been introduced." Harry greeted her when they made eye contact. She smirked broadly at him, her features looked like those of a predator.

"Mariya Lytvyn, You are Potter." Her voice was so heavily accented that it took Harry a moment to understand what she was saying.

"I am." He said carefully, she grinned at him, showing sharp teeth.

"Don't mind Mariya, Potter, she is err… different." Harry turned and to his surprise saw it was Krum talking to him.

"Much of your school seems to be familiar with me." Harry asked cautiously, to the best of his knowledge he had met no Durmstrang students except when leading them up to the castle.

"The Highmaster, saught it best to know of opponents." His English was good Harry noted, although accented.

"And I am an opponent?" Krum looked thoughtful,

"Order of Merlin, zwei avards to school, yes you are opponent." Harry felt rather flattered that he had been studied as a potential foe." He was about to answer when the food vanished from the plates and Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome Students, teachers, ghosts and most importantly, guests!" He gestured broadly with his arms, a wide smile on his face.

"It gives me the greatest pleasure to welcome you all to Hogwarts, in a few moments I shall reveal our impartial judge for the individual school champions, however before that, may I introduce to you all Mr Bartemius Crouch, from the department of international cooperation, and Mr Ludo Bagman from the Department of Magical Sports." The two men stood up, Crouch looking severe and imperious, Bagman looking chubby and cheerful, there was a small round of applause from the students.

"Mr's Crouch and Bagman will be officiating the tournament as Judges. Now, Mr Filch, the casket if you please." The lights dimmed and Hogwarts watched as the wheezy caretaker dragged a heavy looking casket covered in gemstones to the front of the Hall. Dumbledore stepped forward and with a wave of his wand, the cask fell away, leaving behind a stone chalice, filled to the brim with dancing blue flames.

"This is the Goblet of fire." Announced the Headmaster, "Any student wishing to enter the tournament must write their name and school on a piece of parchment and place it in the goblet, the winner for each school will be announced at dinner tomorrow." There were murmurs of interest in the hall

"I feel I should perhaps remind the more forgetful of you all, that only those over the age of seventeen, or those in their seventh year may put their names in the Goblet, I will personally be drawing an age line around the Goblet, and I should warn you, any attempt to trick the Goblet will be punished severely."

There was a collective groan around the hall and Dumbledore's eyes crinkled as he chuckled.

"Finally, a warning, the tournament is not to be entered lightly, it is very dangerous and designed to test students to the very limits of their imagination, strength and daring, once your name is chosen to represent the school, it is set in stone, and you are bound to compete." There was silence following this rather sinister announcement.

"Now, off to bed, the lot of you, chop chop." As the students struggled to lift full bodies off their chairs, Harry remained seated, waiting for the crowd around the door to thin. As he sat in his seat, Marcus and Terrence sat next to him, "Got any Parchment Harry?" they asked in unison. Harry checked through his pockets and withdrew the letter he had received from Miranda that morning,

"Entering your names already?" he asked amused, they grinned and he shook his head, tearing off a corner of the envelope and handing it to them. Marcus conjured a quill and they wrote their names down.

"Going to join us Harry?" Marcus asked, Harry sighed and tore off another piece of the envelope,

"I suppose I've got to, God forbid either of you became Hogwarts champion!" Terrence rolled his eyes and together the three of them made their way to the goblet, each chucking their names in. the blue flames turned red, and the parchments vanished, before quickly returning to blue.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

"Stay behind Potter!" called Professor Black from the front of the room, Harry sighed packed away his books. He had been expecting this moment for a while, Black had been glaring at him near constantly since term began, and evidently the man had reached the end of his tether.

When the classroom emptied the two men sat staring at each other. Harry tried to ignore the angry grief in the Defence instructor, instead focusing his eyes on a point to the right of the man.

"Remus Lupin and I were friends for 21 years Potter." Black finally said. His voice tense. Harry said nothing, keeping his eyes on the wall.

"I saw the memories that Longbottom gave. You didn't kill Remus, you murdered him." Harry felt his jaw clench, and he could feel a vein beating in his temple.

"I did what I had to Professor." Harry answered, his voice even

"LIAR!" shouted Black, slamming his open hand against the desk. Harry flicked his eyes towards the man and saw that his face was furious. Surreptitiously, Harry felt to make sure his wand was still easily accessible.

"It sickens me Potter, to see you walk around, Head Boy, order of Merlin, special award for services to the school, like some sort of fucking hero, when you are nothing but a cold murderer." Harry shook his head at the Professors words but Black evidently didn't notice, he was too caught up in his rant.

"The papers write it like you saved the fucking world, Remus was down, injured! You could have bound him, you could have stunned him, but you had to fucking kill him, because your nothing but a traitorous bastard, just like your father."

"I AM NOT MY FATHER!" Harry finally yelled out, cutting Sirius off, the man glared at him, and Harry stood up, his chair clattering to the floor behind him.

"I understand that your friend is dead, and I am sorry, Remus Lupin was a good man. He was kind to me, and I killed him. I know that, you don't have to fucking remind me Professor. I killed my father and a good man in the same night. You don't need to tell me Professor, It's not the sort of thing you forget." Professor Black seemed stunned for a moment.

"Get out Potter." Black drew his wand and Harry tensed, but the man only flicked it viciously, causing the door to burst off its hinges, "get the hell out now!"

Harry left quickly, he was furious at himself for losing control, the feeling in his throat grew more pronounced as he remembered the look in Blacks eyes. Turning a corner, Harry stopped and leant his head against the wall, taking deep breaths as he regained control of his emotions, forcing them behind a shield of Occlumency.

He stood there, leaning against a wall with his eyes shut for a few moments, ridding himself of the emotions of self-pity and grief. As he finally got a grip of his emotions, he heard the familiar _clunk clunk _that mean Moody was approaching.

"Alright Lad?" the imposter asked, Harry nodded and Moody nodded gruffly, "Follow me."

The two made their way down to Moody's office on the floor below. The room was littered with objects, Harry recognised the sneakoscope and foe glass, but others, such as the thing that looked like a little satellite dish, or the piece of string balanced between two poles was alien to him. Harry waited as Moody flicked his wand and erected a few advanced privacy wards

"Is it done?" Harry asked, taking a seat in front of the desk, Barty took a long swig from his hipflask and grimaced,

"Disgusting stuff." He wiped his lip with the back of his hand, "aye, it's done. Four champions." Harry nodded,

"He can't back out? There's no loophole?" Moody shook his horrifically disfigured head.

"It's a binding contract, his name and magical signature are on that cup, no escape." Harry smirked and gave the man a nod.

"Good, we had best get to the feast, it starts shortly." Harry stood and left, Moody following a few minutes behind, and made his way to the great hall.

The feast had already begun as Harry took his usual seat at the centre of the Slytherin table, greeting his friends warmly he filled up his plate and ate slowly as he awaited the end of the feast. He felt a small knot in his stomach as the anticipation for the announcement began.

Finally, after what felt like an age, the puddings were cleared away and silence instantly fell across the hall. Dumbledore stood proudly, his eyes twinkling madly and his face showing delighted excitement.

"I believe the hour has nearly come for us to learn the identity of our individual school champions." He paused, "whoever is chosen, I wish the very best of luck, I am sure you will represent your schools to the very best of your ability." There were scattered bursts of applause, but for the most part, the school was silent, staring in excitement at the dancing blue flames.

Suddenly, with a flash, the flames turned white and a piece of parchment burst from the body of the goblet. With a deft hand, Dumbledore snatched it from the air and unfolded it.

"The champion for Durmstrang, will be Viktor Krum!" There was a storm of applause and several whistles, Krum stood from the Slytherin table looking surly and slouched over to Dumbledore, who directed him through a side door off the hall.

The hall went silent again, and waited for a few moments, when the flames turned white again, Harry noted with surprise that the parchment which flew up from the goblet was pink and seemed to be decorated with patterns of leaves, Dumbledore's eyebrows raised as he caught the ugly paper, but he unfolded it gallantly.

"Representing Beauxbatons, shall be Fleur Delacour." The hall applauded again, the boys especially so, as Fleur gracefully rose Harry understood why, the girl was flawless, with platinum blonde hair and perfect features. To Harry's surprise, he saw that the rest of the Beauxbatons students looked rather unhappy with the decision, indeed, two girls had actually burst into tears.

Fleur disappeared through the door, and the hall fell silent once again. The entire student body seemed to be leaning forward, eager to learn who the Hogwarts champion would be, and Harry felt his heart hammering in his chest.

The Goblet flashed white again, and a singed piece of white parchment flew through the air, with a sharp grab, Dumbledore caught it in his closed hand. The aged Headmaster unfolded it with nimble fingers and his entire countenance seemed to take on a rather resigned appearance.

"The Champion for Hogwarts shall be… Harry Potter."

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**There you have it, usual plea for reviews, I think It will take around 4/5 chapters for year four, and we get into the second arc of this story**

**Love you all**

**Marshall Angmar**


	17. Chapter 16

**Okay, Okay. Hold up!**  
**I know what you must be saying: "Marshall! two chapters in less than 24 hours? that's like 12000 words, what are you? some kind of typing machine?"**

**The answer is yes. Yes I am.**

**I intend to complete fourth year in around 5/6 chapters, and then I will move onto the next stage of the story, many thanks to my reviewers, they are all so kind and provide excellent feedback, I also once again give praise to my incredible beta, John Foxton, who has now asked me to tell you not to read his fanfiction, as it is apparently not his best work, and he is now much happier working as a beta, rather than an author. his words.**

**The reason this chapter came so fast, is because it is either fanfiction, or exam revision, anyone out there dealing with A levels? **

**On with the story!**

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Chapter 16

"The Champion for Hogwarts shall be… Harry Potter."

The Slytherin table around Harry leapt to their feet to scream their approval. Harry put a broad smile across his face and stood up. The rest of the school was cheering to, except for some of the Gryffindor table Whilst Harry may not be popular outside Slytherin due to his father, his prestigious skill and power were renowned throughout the student Body, and Harry rather believed that most students would rather have a _Slytherin_ Triwizard winner than a _Gryffindor_ Triwizard loser.

With a straight back and head held high, Harry strode confidently to the front of the hall, he nodded to the headmaster and then to Snape, before following Krum and Fleur into the side room. As he passed through the door, he found himself in a small, well lit withdrawing room. There was a fire burning merrily in the grate and several portraits lining the walls.

Harry took note of the other champions, Fleur was sat on one of the sofa's examining Harry with an air of aloof disregard, whilst Krum had ignored Harry entirely, leant against the wall next to the fire, staring deep into the depths.

"'arry Potter, Madam Maxime did razzer suspect it would be you who was made champion." Fleur stated with a small smile. Harry gave her a smirk

"And yourself? Did you disagree with her?"

"mais non, I was sure it would be you, you 'ave an impressive record." Harry gave her a charming smile. Krum strode over and looked at Harry and Fleur with a small smile.

"So, ve are the best of our schools. It is a gut thought no?" he asked, Harry chuckled and nodded, whilst Fleur blushed delicately.

"eet is a nice thought." Harry opened his mouth to agree, when suddenly the door opened. Harry turned around and hid a smirk when he saw Longbottom. The boy looked torn between shocked horror and jubilation.

"What eez the matter?" asked Fleur, looking confused, "do zey want us back in the 'all?" Neville shook his head slowly, and collapsed against the wall.

Suddenly the door burst open again, and a storm of people entered, the three heads of school, Snape, Moody, Bagman and Crouch. Maxime strode in and immediately started talking in rapid French to Fleur, whilst Karkaroff stood next to Viktor in silence.

"Neville," began Dumbledore calmly "Did you put your name in the Goblet of fire?"

"No! I swear Professor, I don't know what happened!" Dumbledore looked at him intently,

"Did you get an older student to put your name in for you?" Neville reddened,

"No, of course not! Professor I swear!"

"But of course 'e is lying!" chimed in Maxime,

"I agree. He must have tricked the Goblet." Stated Karkaroff, twirling his goatee angrily.

"Evidently Hogwarts wanted two bites of ze apple!" agreed Maxime, "I demand that we be allowed to enter anozzer champion for our schools!" Karkaroff nodded brightly.

"An excellent Idea Madam Maxime, it is only fair Dumbledore7!"

"If I may Headmistress, Highmaster." Harry spoke, and the room went silent as they all turned to look at him, Madam Maxime gestured for him to continue.

"Well, from Hogwarts perspective, this is a bad thing surely?"

"How do you figure that? Hogwarts now has half the champions!" Spat Karkaroff angrily,

"Well, from my understanding, the champion and one other are to take part in the duelling competition, Hogwarts, with two champions, must now enter myself and Neville into the duelling ring." Karkaroff quickly cottoned on, and smirked coldly, but Maxime evidently didn't understand where he was going.

"Well Madam, Neville is a fourth year, and a subpar student at best, that would give the other schools an overwhelming advantage in that aspect of the competition at the very least." Neville bristled at being called subpar, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Mr Potter, perhaps it would be wise not to make such derogatory accusations about other students whilst I am present." Dumbledore stated firmly, Harry held up a hand as an apology.

"Perhaps the boy has a point my dear Olympe, perhaps this is a blessing for our schools." Karkaroff stated, his eyes alive as the reflection of the fire glinted in them.

"Perhaps." Maxime conceded, "but they will still have two people in the main tournament!" Karkaroff shrugged,

"Are you suggesting your champion will be unable to best a fourteen year old boy?" Asked Moody from the door, "Because if so, perhaps Beauxbatons is not quite the school I thought it was!" Maxime flushed.

"We can certainly beat 'im, 'e is a little boy, nozzing more." Neville flushed a deeper scarlet.

"Perhaps we should consult our judges, instead of arguing our cases like this." Suggested Dumbledore, the three heads of school turned to face Crouch.

"We must adhere to the rules." The man stated firmly, "and the rules state clearly that those whose names come out of the Goblet of fire are magically bound to compete." Dumbledore sighed gravely,

"I had feared as much." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Well then Neville, much as it pains me to accept, I am afraid you will simply have to do the best you can."

"Professor?" Neville asked shocked,

"I am sorry Neville, the age limit was only introduced to add a level of safety to the situation, rest assured I will investigate this matter fully, you will remain as safe as I can ensure."

"He vill not be given special treatment in the tournament." Karkaroff stated firmly, "He vill be treated the same as the rest of ze champions."

"Agreed." Stated Madam Maxime, and Dumbledore, Crouch and Bagman nodded. Dumbledore turned to face the two ministry men.

"Gentlemen, as it is unlikely we will sort this out tonight, perhaps we could instead inform our champions of their impending task?" Crouch stepped forward,

"Yes. Agreed." His voice was clipped and business like, "The first task of the main tournament will be held on November 24th, one week before this shall be the first round of the duelling tournament." He spoke as though he knew everything, and without any inflection at all, "The first task shall be a test of your cunning, your daring and your ability to cope with danger in the face of the unknown. Therefore, you shall not be informed of the nature of your task. You may only bring your wands."

The meeting dispersed soon after that, Fleur and Maxime hurried off, talking together in low undertones in rapid French. Krum slouched out the door, throwing a nod in Harry's direction before leaving, Karkaroff followed soon after his champion.

"Harry, Neville, I would suggest that you return to your common rooms, I am sure there is plenty of celebration awaiting you." His eyes twinkled a little bit, and Neville grinned. Harry kept his face clear and left the room.

As he approached the steps down to the dungeons he was stopped,

"You're wrong Potter." Called Neville, Harry turned to face him and found the Gryffindor was standing against the banister,

"I beg your pardon Longbottom?" he drawled,

"You're wrong about me, I won't be a liability." Harry grinned mockingly, and turned, calling over his shoulder as he left

"I pray you're right Longbottom, I pray you're right!"

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHPHPHPHPHHPPHPHPHPHPH

Dumbledore had been correct, as soon as Harry opened the wall to Slytherin, he was bombarded by shouts and cheers. He strode through the door and smiled broadly at his friends, accepting a butterbeer from Marcus and taking a long swig,

"Was Neville expelled Potter?" Malfoy asked jokingly,

"Sadly no, but he is forced to compete" There were groans sounded from amongst the assembled Slytherins, and one boy chimed up from the back,

"Don't look so glum, maybe he'll die!" Everyone laughed, and the party started properly, there was drink, food and music, and several students ended up partying all night and going straight to lessons on zero sleep the next day.

With less than a month until the first task, and only seventeen days until the duelling tournament, Harry and Neville were worked hard by the two professors. Moody was focusing on Neville, whilst Harry was drilled by Flitwick in form and agility, which he discovered was incredibly effective at tiring him out.

Whilst Harry didn't like Neville, he was impressed by the boy's work ethic. Moody was a harsh taskmaster, duelling Neville into the ground several times a day, often leaving the boy dripping sweat and covered in painful boils, despite this however, Neville did consistently try his utmost, and as time progressed, his improvement became more obvious.

Whilst Neville was by no means capable of Duelling Harry evenly, he was probably better than the rest of the fourth years, and maybe some of the fifth years.

November passed in rather an unpleasant manner for Harry, he woke early each morning to exercise, where he joined Viktor Krum for his workouts, went to breakfast and had his lessons, which remained extremely taxing, the professors were determined to prepare the students for the upcoming NEWT's.

After lunch, he would report to Moody and Flitwick for two hours of duelling training, followed by afternoon lessons. In the evenings he would laze around the common room, resting his aching muscles and attempting to complete the mountain of homework assigned on time.

On the fourteenth of November, Harry was pulled from his transfiguration teacher by a terrified looking third year.

"Please Professor?" he asked, McGonagall gave him a raised eyebrow and he quivered,

"Professor, Mr Potter is needed upstairs. I believe it's for the tournament." McGonagall nodded and smiled at Harry.

"Good luck Potter, you are exempt from Homework, off you go." Harry nodded and quickly packed up his books. The two boys walked in silence to the fourth floor and reaching an unassuming door, the third year gestured for Harry to enter.

It was an old classroom, inside were the judges and other champions, who both looked up at Harry as he entered.

"Ah, Mr Potter, welcome, welcome!" called Bagman, bounding forward and grabbing his arm. "We are all here for the weighing of the wands ceremony. We've got to make sure your wands in working order, it's your most important weapon after all!"

Harry nodded and shook himself free of the man's grip, it didn't appear to deter his enthusiasm, as he just grinned wider,

"This is Mr Ollivander, our wand expert, and this is Rita Skeeter, who will be writing a small piece for _the Daily Prophet_ on the tournament."

"Maybe not that small Ludo." The reporter said, eyeing Harry as though he were a piece of meat, Harry flashed her a charming grin, which seemed to take her off guard.

"If we are all here?" asked Dumbledore from the front, "Perhaps we can begin."

Ollivander stepped forward, he looked just as wispy and frail as the last time Harry had seen him. "Mr Krum, perhaps we could start with you?" he asked. Viktor stepped forward and proffered his wand hilt first to the wand maker.

Ollivander took it in both hands, holding it up to the light and running his hands across its surface.

"A Gregorivitch creation unless I'm much mistaken?" he asked curiously, Krum nodded, "Hornbeam and Dragon Heartstring, quite rigid, 10 ¼ inches?" He summoned a fountain of wine from the tip and deemed the wand to be in fine condition before summoning Fleur.

"Hmm, Rosewood, with a core of… dear me" he looked at Fleur in surprise, "A Veela hair?" he asked, Fleur proudly nodded,

"one of my grandmuzzers."_ So Fleur is a Veela, I suppose that explains things then._

"well, I've never used Veela hair, I find it makes for rather temperamental wands, but each to their own." He summoned a bouquet, and handed flowers and wand to the French girl, who accepted them with a small curtsey.

"Mr Potter?" Harry stood up and handed over his wand with some reluctance. "Ah, this is one of mine!" he smiled happily, "Yew and Phoenix tail feather, 12 ½ inches, very unyielding. I remember it well!" Harry nodded with a smile, smirking to himself as he saw Dumbledore's look of horrified recognition at the description of Harry's wand.

"I am impressed Mr Ollivander."

"I remember every wand I have ever sold Mr Potter, and yours was a most curious case. Anyhow, your wand is in excellent condition." He produced ringlets of smoke from Harry's wand before returning it to him.

Harry was bored by the rest of the proceedings, and couldn't wait for it to end. However just as he was about to escape, the reporter declared that she needed photo's.

The photos took forever. First it was group shots, followed by headshots, followed by shots of the champions with their headmasters. Eventually, well into Dinner, they were released and Harry was finally able to breathe a breath of fresh air.

The day before the duelling tournament, Harry slept late and missed breakfast. When he arrived in charms, it was to discover that many of the students were wearing badges. Upon further inspection he realised that they all stated the same thing,

_Support Harry Potter, the real Hogwarts Champion. _

Harry suppressed a grin, and fell into his usual seat. Marcus turned to him to flash the badge, Harry waved him off,

"That's not all they do mate, Look!" Marcus touched his finger to the badge and the words changed, they now read

_Longbottom is a nob. _

"Subtle." Harry complimented, Marcus shrugged,

"They get the point across, Malfoy was handing them out." Harry rolled his eyes, but chuckled to himself. The day passed quickly, as the first round of duels were the next day, Harry and Neville were given the day off by their Drill Masters, instead of duels, they were treated to a lecture.

Moody was stood at the front of the large classroom they used for their practices.

"The duelling champions are the best of Europe." He stated fiercely, glaring at both Harry and Neville, "Fleur Delacour is probably the worst duellist you will face tomorrow, but don't underestimate her, she is very skilled in charms, she took her OWL a year early in the subject, and is reckoned to be the best student practitioner in Western Europe. The other duellist from Beauxbatons is a tricky bastard, he won the French National duelling competition last year, from what I know, he's one of those cunning little shits, loves deception and tricks, but doesn't have too much power to back himself up."

"is he the biggest threat out there?" Harry asked, paying close attention, Moody gave a bark of a laugh and grinned at Harry,

"You fucking wish. No, the biggest threat will be the Durmstrang addition, Krum and Lytvyn. Krum is a monster, overpowers his spells and wears you down, no finesse, no skill, just a battering ram who will hit you so hard your grandkids will feel it, and unfortunately he's the weaker of the two."

"Lytvyn I imagine is rather good." Harry mused, considering the girl, she held the air of someone dangerous. Moody nodded coarsely.

"Damn fucking right, all my information tells me that girl is borderline psychotic. She won the Eastern European championship in her fifth year, and became European under 21 champion this summer. She's fast, she's smart and she knows every counter and deflection to the basic spells. Longbottom, I won't beat around the bush. You're fucked." Harry snorted, and Neville turned pink, but evidently the training with Moody taught him to keep quiet, because he wisely kept his mouth closed.

"Potter, You can probably do it, but Christ boy, keep your guard up around all of them, but especially Lytvtyn, that girl is bloody psychic at times, don't fall for her traps, don't try to trick her. She's especially good at transfiguration, but expect a lot of borderline dark magic, she's knows the rules, and knows what she can and can't get away with."

When Harry left the classroom, he was feeling very conflicted, on the one hand, this would be a true challenge, but on the other, he couldn't afford to look weak and lose.

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The next day, Harry woke with a tight feeling in his stomach. As he rolled out of bed, he discovered that a black duelling robe had been left on his bed, the garment was clearly brand new, with green accenting and his name written across the back.

He pulled on a pair of tight fitting black trousers and a white t shirt, slipping the robe over the top. It was well fitted, allowing him unrestricted movement, and he could tell that it contained numerous cooling charm as well as weightless charms.

Heading down to breakfast, he received several pats on the back, and muttered _Good Luck's _from well-wishers. As he entered the hall, he noted Krum and Fleur were also wearing duelling robes, as were Mariya Lytvyn and a wiry looking boy, with thick curly hair, and a rather vacant expression.

Breakfast was a tense affair, Harry ate little, he didn't want to risk it all coming up on the way out if he was hit by a retching curse.

The duels were to be held in the grounds. At 9 am, Harry and the rest of the duellists were led out to a small tent, where Bagman was bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Greetings, the duels will follow the international rules, does everyone know them?" they all nodded and Bagman beamed, "excellent, well, the stands are set up, and you each have front row seats when you aren't duelling." He proceeded to explain the location of the medical tent, who would be judging, and the way points would be distributed,

10 points for a win, 0 for a loss, with 2 points available for each direct hit onto an opponent.

When they were all lead out onto the stage, Harry had to admit he was impressed. It was large, able to seat far more than twice the population of Hogwarts and completely full. In the centre of the stadium was a full sized duelling ring. Bagman lined them up in the centre of the arena before casting the sonorous charm on himself.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first round of the Triwizard tournament duelling competition!" _There were cheers from the crowd, and Harry closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

"_Representing Beauxbatons, French duelling champion Jean Du Crest and Fleur Delacour! Representing Durmstrang, she's from Ukraine, she's the champion of Europe, it's Mariya Lytvyn, and he's the international Quidditch Superstar, Viktor Krum!" _There were deafening shouts, cheers and boos from around the stands.

"_Representing Hogwarts, He's head boy and Order of Merlin, Harry Potter! And joining him, the boy-who-lived, Neville Longbottom!"_ the Hogwarts students cheered wildly and Harry raised one hand in greeting.

"_The first duel of the day is between Fleur Delacour and Neville Longbottom, beginning in 15 minutes_." The duellists all made their way to the reserved section of seating for them. Harry was pleased to see that some of his friends were there in support, Marcus, Olivia, and he was especially pleased to see Miranda, who he greeted rather enthusiastically, to wolf whistles from the crowd.

"_Mr Longbottom, Miss Delacour, are you ready?" _asked a professional looking official, the two nodded, and the referee took a step back to the edge of the circle,

"_Obey my instructions at all times, defend yourselves at all times. Duel!"_ the match was over depressingly quickly, despite a good opening from Neville, Fleur easily overpowered him and within two minutes it was over.

Lytvyn fought Jean Du Crest next, and Harry learnt what Moody been trying to impress on him, Jean was good, he used distraction and quick casting very effectively, but Lytvyn didn't even blink, she circled him, countering his curses before he sent them, and forcing him on the defensive. Her movements were so controlled, so minimalistic, she made no movement unless absolutely necessary, avoiding the few curses he got off with only small jerks of his body.

There could be only one outcome, and three minutes later, Du Crest was carried off the ring on a stretcher to have his wounds tended to. Harry stood, squeezing Miranda's hand as he strode onto the ring against Krum.

The boy looked ready, his eyes were alert, and his movement's fluid, Harry shook his hand before retreating to his position.

"_Gentlemen, are you ready?" _asked the referee, they both nodded, "_okay, obey my instructions at all times, defend yourself at all times. Duel!"_

Krum immediately went on the offensive, and Harry quickly brought up a shield. When the first reductor curse hit it, Harry blinked in surprise, the spell was powerful, really powerful, and it was followed up by two more equally strong curses.

Dropping his shield, Harry rolled to the left, snapping off two cutters at the Bulgarians legs, Krum paused the relentless stream of curses and shielded, barely pausing before he continued to hurl the powerful magics at Harry.

_Obscuro_

Harry thought and the black curse shot at Krum who raised his shield, the spell hit the invisible barrier and spread like a splash of ink, remaining in the air, even after Krum dropped the shield.

Evidently Krum didn't know this spell, because he fumbled for a moment trying to counter it, and during that time Harry was able to slip a piercing curse through his defences. The curse struck him in his right arm, and Viktor grunted in pain as a hole the width of a pencil and three inches deep cut through him.

Finally removing the obscurement jinx, Krum continued his bombardment of Harry. Rather than shield against the freight train of spells, Harry kept mobile, dodging left and right and scoring points of small hits against Krum. After several minutes, Harry managed to hit the Bulgarian with a disarming charm, and Krums wand flew from his hand.

To Harry's surprise, this didn't appear to phase the Bulgarian, because he simply charged straight at Harry, arms raised, The Slytherin boy dived to his right and caught Krum with a stunning spell in the back, the Quidditch star dropped to the floor with a grunt.

With the first round of the day over, Harry sat down and caught his breath, sipping on some water and munching on a snack bar.

"_At the end of the first round, Durmstrang lead with 18 points, Hogwarts and Beauxbatons tied with 16 points._"

"Who are you up against next?" Marcus asked, squinting at the board which held the schedule,

"Delacour, which I'm told shouldn't be too hard." Marcus chuckled and the two of them started a discussion about the impending Quidditch match. Hogwarts was to be playing Beauxbatons the day before the first task.

"_The next duel is between Neville Longbottom and Mariya Lytvyn." _Called the announcer and Neville stood up. Harry immediately grabbed the round faced boy's arm in a tight grip,

"Longbottom, you're going to lose. Try to fail quickly, the longer you are out there, the more opportunities it gives her to rack up points." Neville scowled at him angrily and shook of his hand, Harry sighed and sat back in his seat, dreading the outcome of this bout.

It was painful to watch, Lytvyn was toying with the boy, she sent disfigurement charms and low powered cutters at Neville, most of which he failed to block, after only 4 minutes of duelling Neville was sporting antlers, purple hair, his robes had been slashed open from numerous gashes and the boy saviour was bleeding heavily.

Harry saw Marcus next to him palm his face in exasperation as he looked at the scoreboard. Lytvyn had already scored fifteen hits, putting Durmstrang far in the lead.

"Bombarda!" shouted Neville pointing his wand at the girl, she neatly sidestepped and returned fire with her own knee reversal hex. Neville tripped and fell over, his wand falling out of his hand and skittering over the floor. Neville stood up slowly before raising his hands as a sign of surrender, ending the duel.

"That was exciting" Miranda declared sarcastically from next to him, Harry smirked and nodded, Longbottom did have a rather magnificent lack of skill, and thanks to him, Durmstrang had just gained over 40 points.

The duels carried on for several more hours, Harry beat the two French students, managing to score respectably, despite the appalling record by Neville, by the time of the final fight of the day, Harry vs Mariya, Durmstrang were leading with 74 points, followed by Hogwarts with 48 points, nearly all of which were thanks to Harry, and Beauxbatons were a close third with 44.

"_Duellists, are you ready?" _called the referee, Harry nodded, swiping his wand experimentally from through the air.

"_Obey my instructions at all times, defend yourselves at all times. Duel!" _

The Ukrainian took a step to the right, Harry mirrored her, and the two students began a steady circle around each other, wands held ready, waiting for an opponent to make a mistake.

Harry feinted left, the girl mirrored him, Harry frowned, and they continued their steady circle, the audience watching in eager anticipation.

_Occulo Obscurus!_

With a blinding flash of light, Harry attempted to blind his opponent, but the girl was ready, she shut her eyes tight, and as soon as the light was gone cast three piercing hexes at Harry's chest.

The spells flashed against his shield doing no damage. With a savage wave of his wand, a ball of iron the size of a bludger flew at the Ukrainian, which she avoided with a careful step to the left, returning fire with a swathe of blue flames.

With a casual flick, the flames were dissipated, Harry and Mariya stood opposite each other, neither had any wounds or marks, and Harry saw the feral grin on her face.

With a sudden wave, Harry cast a smoke hex on the platform, obscuring himself completely in the dense fog, dodging the three curses she sent as his last location, Harry quickly cast the _gemino_ charm, creating a mirror image of himself to his left.

The fog vanished with a wave of the girl's wand, revealing the two Harry's. She frowned cautiously, before unleashing a punishing volley of spells at both the Harry's opposite her. The boy was careful though, making sure that both he and his twin avoided the spells. It was difficult given the precision and speed of the girls casting, but Harry managed it.

_Imbrignis_

The spray of sticky flaming oil shot from Harry's wand, rather than aim directly for the girl, he used the intense flames to pen her in, restricting her movements. Before too long, The ring had been reduced to a sea of writhing flames.

Lytvyn was stood opposite him, sweating from the heat and glaring at Harry. With a mocking gesture Harry invited her to continue the attack, an invitation she duly took up.

The following exchange of magic would go down in Hogwarts history as the most violent, bloody and incredible duel in living memory. The two students hurled lethal spells around with brutal elegance, shielding, dodging and counterattacking with eye watering speed.

After ten minutes of relentless spell casting, both Harry and Mariya realised the end of the duel was near. They were exhausted and bleeding from dozens of wounds, the blood running down their faces as they continued to fight with relentless aggression.

Harry had to admit that the girl was very impressive. The sheer variety and speed with which she shot her spells was terrifying. Harry had been forced onto the defensive several times already. With a muttered incantation, Harry summoned a whip of fire, and grinned as he saw the Ukrainian girl summon the same.

The strings of white hot flame flashed and collided, bright sparks and screeches echoing around the stadium as the intense magic fought against each other, Harry drew his arm back and sent the whip flying at the girl, she dodged quickly and efficiently, dropping her own whip and casting a blasting curse at him, Harry intercepted the curse with the rope of fire before dropping the spell.

What happened next was so fast and intense that Harry couldn't fully recall the exchange of spells, what he did know was that he had cast over a dozen spells in twenty seconds, which the Durmstrang student had matched. Harry felt a piercing hex pass through his shield, and gasped at the stabbing feeling in his abdomen, evidently however he had also succeeding in breaking through her shield, because the girl was thrown through the air, crashing hard into the barrier that protected the crowd.

Clutching a hand to his bleeding stomach, Harry staggered a little, but managed to cast a stunning charm at the girl, the red jet of light struck Mariya just as she was opened her eyes after the fall, and she slumped back unconscious.

"_Durmstrang unable to continue. Hogwarts win." _Called the slightly awed referee, his eyes wide as he inspected the incredible damage to the duelling ring. The once pristine surface had been pockmarked with holes and the decorative surface had been completely burnt off.

Four Mediwizards hurried onto the stage and assisted both Harry and the unconscious girl out into the healing tent.

Harry sat back in his bed with his eyes closed, feeling his skin knit itself together as the healers waved their wands and forced potions down his throat. Miranda walked in with a frustrated look on her face as she looked critically at the pinks patches of flesh on his chest where the wounds were freshly healed.

"Potter, when I dated you, I was under the impression that you were a competent wizard." She looked away from him and inspected her nails, Harry chuckled softly, the noise hurting his bruised ribs.

"Apologies Miss Rookwood, I understand how my defeat of the under 21 European duelling champion demonstrates incompetency on my part." Miranda shrugged, not looking up from her hand.

Olivia evidently thought however that his achievement was worthy of more praise, she skipped over and gave him a tight hug, ignoring his gasp of pain,

"You were amazing Harry, I wouldn't have lasted ten seconds! How do you move like that?!" Harry gave her a grin but didn't answer, instead shifting to a more comfortable position and shrugging his shoulders.

"How many points did I collect in the end?"

"26, that Russian bitch got 10, so Hogwarts is a comfortable second." Marcus informed him, still looking somewhat in awe of Harry's display. Harry was thankful Lytvyn spoke so little English, as he was sure the powerful girl wouldn't like Marcus's description of her.

"I can deal with second" Harry said with a smile, stretching out and closing his eyes.

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The following day was the first Academic match between the three schools. Harry attended to support the school, as was his duty as head boy, and watching the students answer obscure questions on Astronomy and Muggle studies, Harry was very glad that he hadn't joined the team, how the hell was he supposed to know what effect a new moon had on the growth of the rare African herb _Mudgie Fakab_?

The week passed pretty quickly and the first task drew near, two days before it was due to begin, Harry was taken to one side by Professor Snape. The man had a serious look on his face as he led Harry back to his office.

"Potter. What I am about to tell you is highly confidential, and I want you to understand that my telling you is not meant to be interpreted as you being a subpar wizard." Harry looked in surprise at the greasy haired Professor.

"I always suspected you considered me something of a dunderhead Professor." Snape sneered at him, though it lacked his usual venom,

"Over the years you have developed to be… adequate Potter." Harry grinned, and bit his tongue to stop himself releasing a sarcastic comment. Snape sat back in his high chair and surveyed Harry over his long hooked nose.

"Potter, it has come to my attention that the first task is to involve the champions going head to head with a Dragon." Harry blinked, using his Occlumency to quash the look of surprise that would otherwise have shown on his face.

"A dragon? Am I allowed to know the breed?" Dragon breeds varied a lot, even with Harry's limited magical creature knowledge he knew that.

"I do not know, although several have been imported into Hogwarts grounds, one for each champion I presume." Harry nodded,

"How did you acquire this information professor?" he asked respectfully, Snape looked into a corner of his office, and Harry saw a slowly bubbling cauldron.

"I have been requested to brew large amounts of burn salve for the Dragon Handlers, I thought it prudent to inquire what it would be used for." Harry nodded and leant forward, staring into his housemasters eyes.

"Why are you telling me? I thought it against the rules." Snape smirked coldly,

"Like I said Potter, It is not because I was concerned for your welfare…"

"I'm touched." Harry responded sarcastically, Snape quirked an eyebrow,

"10 points from Slytherin for cheek Potter, I know for a fact that Karkaroff knows, and Hagrid showed Longbottom and Maxime the beasts last night, so the other champions know, I would not allow a Slytherin to be beaten by Longbottom, Minerva would never let me live it down." Harry chuckled and thanked the Professor.

"Potter, it hardly needs to be said, but do not be a fool, a dragon is a very dangerous beast. I would prefer for Hogwarts to keep its current Head Boy. Harry nodded and stood, shaking Snapes hand.

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**There you go, Chapter 16, It's something of a filler, and also starts up a few plans I have in the pipeline for this book. **

**I have also begun to flesh out my plans for post hogwarts, and in my humble opinion, it's quite cool. Voldemorts rise has a lot of historical precedent, so it should be realistic. But I will endeavour to make it more exciting.**

**Quick Question, should Post Hogwarts Harry be a politician and gain Power legally, or be more of a terrorist like Voldemorts first rise to power was? leave answers in reviews, as well as any thoughts, comments or criticisms! thank you!**

**Marshall Angmar**

**PS, I've been advised that a great way to gain more interest and air time for a story is through communities, so if anyone knows of a community this story would fit in, or has a community they would like to add this story to, that would be terrific! Thank you.**


	18. Chapter 17

**Good Evening Folks... actually it's morning, Good Morning folks,**

**Here is the latest instalment, after some complex maths and chin scratching, I have decided that the Goblet will actually be completed in two more chapters, rather than the four I had thought,**

**Anyway, You all asked for something epic for the fight vs. the dragon, and I hope that the way I did it was realistic, but cool, as I could hardly have Harry stand against the dragon and curse it into oblivion, as I would no doubt be criticized for being unrealistic. (Actually, I did write it like that, but then realised that it was absurd and so rewrit it.) **

**Please Enjoy**

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Chapter 17

Harry sat tiredly in the Library, the entire school was seemingly deserted, all the students and teachers had gone to watch the match between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, but he had chosen to remain behind. There was an impressive stack of books on his table on dragons, and a piece of parchment on the desk before him, he flicked through one of the books and read the page quickly, before jotting his findings down on the yellow page,

_Dragon Breeds:_

_Welsh Green: Traditionally docile, poor in flight and relatively slow on land. Powerful fire and strong hide._

_Chinese Fireball: fast on land, incapable of flight, very powerful fire, weakest hide._

_Ukrainian Ironbelly: Slow on Land and in Flight, medium fire, Very strong Hide._

_Swedish Shortsnout: Average in most every regard_

_Hungarian Horntail: Fast on land and in air, strong fire, relatively weak hide. Horned tail_

_Peruvian vipertooth: Very fast on land, medium in air, weak hide, weak flame, very poisonous bite._

_Hebridean Black: endangered, smallest breed, fast in air and flight, weak flame and hide._

The page held only limited information, but Harry knew that to go against any breed unprepared could very well be deadly, he groaned as he saw quite how large the pile of books before him was, with a sigh, he returned to the first book and began to read on effective ways to subdue and overpower the majestic beasts.

Three hours later Harry gave up on his reading as he heard the trampling of hundreds of feet on the stairs. He stood and stretched, working the stiffness out of muscles that had remained still for too long and made his slow way back to the dungeons.

When he entered the common room, it was to find a bright and cheerful mood, and it quickly became evident why, as Marcus came over to him and threw his arm around his neck, crooning about how he had scored six goals against Beauxbatons.

"Marcus, stop singing for fuck's sake, you sound like a troll!" The chaser frowned, but did as he was bid and closed his mouth.

"Final score then?" he asked with a wry smile, Marcus grinned,

"580 – 320, we creamed them, bloody frogs didn't know what hit them!" Harry grinned, and gave the massive boy a pat on the back.

"That's what Hogwarts stands for, destruction of the French, great job!" Marcus chuckled before wandering off to regale the rest of the house with stories of his brilliance.

Harry sat down at a table in the corner and continued his research on Dragons, hoping to find something that could help him.

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"Well now, each champion must take from this bag a model of... the thing you are facing, Ladies first." Bagman held out the bag to Fleur, who cautiously placed her hand inside and withdrew a small figure of a dragon, Harry recognised it as a Swedish Short snout. Bagman offered the bag to Harry and he carefully put his hand into the bag and drew his own model.

Iron Grey and stockily built, Harry found himself clutching a moving replica of a Ukrainian Ironbelly, the beast looked at him and opened its mouth in a silent roar.

Krum picked out a Peruvian Vipertooth and Neville chose last, getting a Chinese fireball. Harry could have chuckled from the look on the boy's face, it had turned a sickly green, whilst his hands were balled into fists so tightly that they had turned white.

"Excellent, excellent, well now that we all know what the opponent is to be, I can tell you that the object of the exercise is to capture a Golden Egg from a nesting mother. The egg will be within a clutch of real eggs, and your objective is to collect it, without dying. Any questions?" Bagman looked around excitedly,

"How are ve scored?" asked Krum, his face displayed its usual surly boredom, although his eyes were alert and fixed on the figurine currently in his palm.

"ah, yes, the five judges will each score you out of ten, points are given for the time taken and the complexity of magic displayed, points will be taken for any damage you receive and if you damage any of the real eggs whilst performing the task."

With no further questions, Bagman hurried off, warning Krum that he would be first, followed by Fleur, then Harry, and finally Neville.

Around ten minutes after Bagman had left, there came a bang like a cannon. The Bulgarian squared his shoulders and strode towards the tent flap, wand clutched tightly in his hand.

Harry could hear nothing from outside the tent, and the silence was somewhat unnerving, he looked around, Neville had sequestered himself in the corner, he was sat on one of the uncomfortable chairs and looking at the canvas ceiling with a look of despair on his face, Harry almost felt sorry for the boy.

Fleur was standing around eight feet from Harry, her eyes were closed and her lips were moving silently as she recited something to herself. Around twenty minutes after Krum had left, the cannon boomed once more, and the stunning blonde Veela's eyes flashed open.

Harry watched impassively as the girl left through the flap, as it opened, Harry heard the booming cheers and roars of the crowd, but as the heavy canvas fell closed once more, all noise was cut off, leaving just the two Hogwarts champions in the room.

As the minutes slowly ticked by, Harry felt the nervous pit in his stomach begin to grow, the canvas walls of the tent felt like they were closing in and Harry paused to take a deep breath, when he released it, it came in shuddering gasps, and Harry could feel his hand shaking.

_Ukrainian Ironbelly, very large, slow, near impenetrable hide, dangerous fire attack, typically rather stupid. Attack Plan 3. _Harry replayed his strategy in his head, praying to God, Merlin and whoever else was listening, that they watch over him

_BOOM!_

Harry blinked, and sucked in a deep breath, drawing his wand and cutting it through the air experimentally. He strode out through into the enclosure.

When Harry had grown accustomed to the dazzling sunlight, he found himself in a great stone pit. It was easily 80 metres in diameter and surrounded on all sides by cheering supporters. Across the open space in front of him sat Harry's dragon.

The first thing he noticed was that reading in a book that something was vast didn't really prepare one for the thing itself. The dragon was easily 20 feet tall, and three times that long. It's iron grey hide glimmered dully in the bright morning light, each leg thicker than Harry across and held four great claws as long as his arm.

The dragon was crouched protectively over the clutch of eggs beneath it, its enormous head eyeing the stands cautiously, searching for danger, with slow inevitability, the monsters head turned and its eyes landed on Harry.

For a second boy and dragon stared at one another, then the dragon opened its mouth and released an ear splitting roar, Harry felt his entire body vibrate and resisted the urge to cover his ears.

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The crowd watched the Hogwarts champion puzzled. Harry Potter was known throughout the school to be incredibly powerful and able to think on his feet. However as they watched the task, the Hogwarts champion was simply crouched behind a rock.

"Get on with it!" someone shouted and several people laughed. Evidently Harry decided to follow the advice, for he stood and sprinted over to a second rock, crouching behind that one to.

"_Well Harry Potter, piqued as the favourite for this tournament has apparently stumbled at the first hurdle" _Bagman announced with his magically magnified voice. "_Despite high hopes, it would currently appear that he is not capable of completing the task." _

The crowd laughed again at the commentary, watching in puzzled amusement as Harry ran from boulder to boulder and crouched behind each one. After 6 minutes of this, the assembled masses had grown bored, and began chatting amongst themselves.

"_Well, apparently Mr Potter has finally decided to act!" _cam Bagman's voice, The Hogwarts head boy had stood and walked into the open, He was facing the dragon calmly, his head held high, completely ignoring the laughter from his school mates.

With a slow movement, Harry raised his wand to the heavens and yelled something, the sound lost over the cheers of the crowd. Slowly, the two dozen boulder he had been crouched behind began to shift and rattle.

Harry kept his spell pointed firmly in the air, and when he saw the slow speed with which the boulders were moving, he jabbed his wand hard into the air. The rocks flew together, forming an enormous hillock before him. Striding forward, Harry waved his wand before plunging his fist into the dirt at his feet.

"_Sweet Merlin!"_ shouted Bagman in amazement, and it appeared to be a sentiment shared by most of the crowd. With a massive rumbling crunch, an enormous figure rose from the pile, 25 feet tall, with rough limbs the size of tree trunks made of stone.

Harry smirked broadly as his golem took shape, it had been an incredibly taxing piece of magic, each stone had required a dozen runes, numerous charms and the monster had even required some very tricky transfiguration.

Harry stood at its side, barely reaching the behemoths knee, and with a smug smile pointed his wand at the nesting dragon.

"_Oppugno!" _In the silent stadium, his shout could be heard by even the furthest spectators. Harry grinned broadly, as with enormous crunching steps, the golem began to advance and it closed the distance between itself and the dragon in seconds.

The Ironbelly responded almost immediately, as soon as the stone giant was in range, it opened its mouth and belched a torrent of raging flames. Harry's creation didn't even flinch, it carried on its advance, and when the flames finally died away, it revealed red hot, glowing stone. Harry watched pleased as his monstrous creation hurled a heavy punch into the Dragons neck, and Rocky hand crunching heavily into the beast's thick hide sending the beast reeling.

Ignoring the fight for a moment, Harry cast silencing, disillusionment and anti-odour charms on himself and hurried forward. As he reached the dragon nest, he could feel the heat of Dragon flame, as the Golem and Dragon continued their epic fight. Dodging enormous feet that stampeded around the enclosure, Harry clambered over the nest.

The Golden Egg was very easy to locate, it lay right in the middle and Harry scooped it up. The dragon didn't notice anything, for Harry's stone monster had managed to catch it in a headlock, and was currently pounding away at the Ironbelly's shoulder with its enormous stone fists.

Harry hurried out of the fight zone, and when he was what he judged a safe distance away, he dropped his concealment charms and severed the connection between his magic and the stone behemoth. With a rumbling crash, the monster crumbled to the ground, where it remained as inanimate and innocuous stone.

Harry grinned as he watched the wounded and exhausted dragon collapse to the floor, its breath coming in heavy pants. Turning on his heel, Harry left the enclosure to the roaring cheers of the stunned crowd.

Finding himself in a medical tent, Harry shook off the Matronly healer instead walking to join the crowd. He saw the waving of his friends and wandered over to join them, yawning as he did so, summoning a giant made of stone was taxing work.

"That was incredible Harry!" Clara shouted, "Did you see it when it punched the Dragon? Just… Boom!" Harry grinned tiredly and collapsed into an available chair,

"Boom." He agreed, chuckling at the excitable half Spanish girls antics.

"_And, following that mind boggling display of control and power, Mr Potter collects his egg in fifteen minutes, a minute faster than Miss Delacour but two minutes slower than Mr Krum, it should be noted, that during Mr Potter's trial, no eggs were smashed, and Mr Potter himself was harmed in no way."_

"How do they score the champions?" Harry asked,

"Judges shoot the score out, judged out of fifty, Krum got 42, as some of his eggs got busted, and Delacour got 39, as she got burned." Marcus piped out, Harry nodded and turned to face the table of judges. The five of them were consulting together and seemed to be disagreeing over something.

"_And we, the judges, have decided upon scores for Mr Potter." _Bagman shouted, Harry watched intensely.

Maxime was first, and with a wave of her wand shot a nine out of the end of her wand. Dumbledore gave him a nine, Karkaroff gave him 7, Crouch 10, and Bagman 10. Harry nodded his head pleased.

"_Mr Potter therefore has a score of 45 points, putting him in first place." _Harry grinned and sat back to watch the final champion.

Neville's approach was… unorthodox, Harry decided. The boy had summoned his broom and was attempting to tempt his dragon into flying after him. Unfortunately for the boy Saviour, his dragon, the Chinese fireball was incapable of flying, and instead watched him from the land, sending long steams of fire at him.

After ten minutes of watching Neville bait the dragon, Harry began to grow bored, unless Longbottom changed his tactic, he was going to end up human barbeque, several of the fireballs… fireballs had been extremely close to frying him.

Eventually, Neville evidently agreed, for suddenly he dived down, dodging a spurt of flame, the Boy-wonder attempted to fly beneath the Dragons outstretched talons and collect the eggs. Unfortunately, Neville once again revealed his ignorance of Dragon Breeds, in this case, the fireballs incredible speed.

Quick as a flash, the long neck of Neville's dragon lashed out towards the boy and its long teeth caught the tail of his _Firebolt_, crunching the streamlined twigs. Harry winced as Longbottom lost all command of the broom as it steered off in an uncontrolled dive and crashed hard into the rocks surrounding the nest.

Dragon Handlers swarmed from hidden alcoves as the Boy-Who-Lived bounced several times on the hard rocks, coming to a halt in a completely exposed patch of stone, apparently unconscious.

The dragon handlers were successful in subduing the dragon, and Harry watched as one of them grabbed Neville and hurriedly dragged him out of the way, whilst his companions fired dozens of stunning spells into the relatively weak hide of the Chinese Fireball.

When the judges gave Neville the score of 15, Harry couldn't suppress his incredulous look, No special magic, and the boy had even been unable to complete the task, whilst he would never admit it to the unpleasant Durmstrang Highmaster, Karkaroff's score of 1 seemed most fair to him.

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The school gradually returned to normal after the first task, Harry had postponed working on solving the egg clue, which simply screamed at him with no discernible pattern or words, until the Christmas holidays.

Harry was rather enjoying the current lull in activities, even if some of his friends were fretting over the recently announced Yule Ball. Harry was rather enjoying watching as most of the population panicked over the night, Harry was feeling none of their concerns.

Scarcely an hour after Snape had announced that there was to be a ball held in celebration of Yule, Harry had received a letter from a rather fierce looking owl.

_Harry,_

_I understand there is a ball this Christmas, and you will be pleased to know that I accept the invitation you have no doubt been planning to send me._

_I will send you acceptable robes shortly._

_Miranda_

Harry had read the short note with eyebrows so high, that Terrence who had been sitting opposite him, had felt the need to read the letter that created such a reaction. Harry was then forced to endure the rather crude jokes made by his friends. Only Harry's promise of informing his girlfriend about their comments finally shut them up.

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Harry was sat in the library, reading a book on the development of the Wizengamot as he wasted time waiting for Dinner. Putting down the tedious tome with a sigh, he watched in detached surprise as a thick cloud of dust flew from the wrinkled yellow pages.

Laying his head back against the uncomfortable chair Harry spotted Viktor lurking behind some book shelves.

"Krum?" he asked with a puzzled expression on his face, the Bulgarian looked up and saw Harry studying him, he flushed and stalked over towards Harry.

"Good afternoon Harry,"

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to sound casual. Harry chuckled when he saw the Quidditch superstar shuffle his feet. Since their duel, Harry and Viktor had developed a sense of easy camaraderie, they exercised together each morning, and had developed into, if not friends, certainly close acquaintances.

"I vas… that is to say, I vas looking for a book." Harry eyed him suspiciously, his green eyes locking onto Viktor's steel grey ones.

"Perhaps I can help. I know the library well, what book is it?" Harry grinned as he watched the Quidditch Player blink quickly as he thought up a suitable answer,

"_Magical Languages._ It's for the Second task." Viktor looked almost hopeful that Harry would believe him

"For someone looking for a book, you looked rather sinister Mr Krum, next time browse instead of lurking, it'll be good for your image." Viktor glared at him, but said nothing, merely looking at something over Harry's shoulder.

Harry turned, but saw nobody except for the bushy haired Granger, the girl looked up at Viktor and her face burned red, before she hurriedly went back to her book, burying her head in its ancient pages. Harry turned back to the Bulgarian with a small smirk,

"Granger? Really?" the seeker looked determinedly at his hands and said nothing. "I take it you want to ask her to the Ball?" Viktor still refused to look at him, but nodded minutely.

Harry stood up, and smirked at the panicked look in Krum's eyes. He walked over to the Gryffindor fourth year, and examined the book he was reading: _Subjugation and suppression of Magical Creatures_.

"Granger." Harry greeted, the girl looked up at him stonily, her gaze meeting his head on, the level of dislike in her eyes confused Harry, had he ever done something quite so malicious to her to cause such a feeling of dislike? He didn't think so, last time they had met, he had saved her life… twice.

"Yes Potter?" she asked in clipped tones, Harry smiled charmingly, which seemed to disarm the renowned bookworm.

"What are you reading such a terrible book for, the author was an idiot." Hermione glared at him,

"The author was not an idiot, just because his point of view disagrees with the generally accepted truth, doesn't make it any less valid!" she lectured, her voice was rather condescending and bored,

"Granger, chapter eight of that book puts forward the supposition that wizards and witches are repressed by Muggles, he's an idiot."

"He presents a new idea that differs from yours, and you declare him a fool. That's rather close minded of you!" Harry chuckled,

"He presents a notion so ridiculous, that to do anything other than reject it out of hand shows you to be a naïve little girl who can't use her mind to develop intelligent thought about what she is reading." Hermione flushed a deep scarlet but said nothing, Harry stood there, briefly looking over the notes she had written for something called SPEW, but decided that extended conversation with the girl would give him a headache.

"By the way Granger, Viktor wants to ask you to accompany him to the Yule ball, please say yes so he will stop lurking in here, it's rather off-putting." Harry turned back to the Bulgarian, and smirked as he saw the International Celebrity slowly banging his head against the table, bemoaning the day he had ever met Harry Potter.

Hermione fluttered,

"Me? I don't know, I hadn't planned on going, but I suppose, that is to say…. I barely know him…" Harry headed off what had the potential to be the entire thought process of a lonely fourteen year old girl by holding his hands up.

"Granger, for Goodness sake, I don't want to know your answer, Vikors just a coward, I like doing him favours."

Harry then turned and left, offering the Bulgarian a pleasant smile as he left the room.

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It was Christmas day, and this year it appeared that the whole school had decided to remain for the celebrations. The staff had evidently decided to put in extra effort with the celebrations, so in addition to the usual twelve enormous Christmas trees, the entrance hall had been enchanted to snow gently, suits of armour would recite Christmas carols and live fairies were dancing around the corridors sprinkling their dust wherever they went.

It was seven thirty, and the ball was due to start in thirty minutes, Harry was waiting in the Entrance Hall for Miranda, whilst Viktor and Fleur were beside him.

Viktor was wearing a deep crimson, martial jacket, covered in Gold braid and decoration, and Harry rather thought he looked rather intimidating. Fleur was dressed in a stunning silver gown, which flowed elegantly down to the floor, the dress was completely backless, and her date, Roger Davies looked to be unable to take his eyes off her. Harry himself was dressed in exactly what Miranda had sent him.

Rather than dress him up in the traditional Dress robes, Harry was instead wearing a double breasted dark grey, fitted jacket that did up to the collar. The buttons were connected by lines of lines of a silver material, and the entire jacket's piping was in the same silver. Not that Harry would ever question her taste, but he did think he looked slightly pretentious

Longbottom was off to one side, talking quietly to a pale eyed blonde, who was dressed in rather peculiar outfit, Harry would have thought she looked pretty, but the fact that she wore a necklace made of butterbeer corks, and radishes in her ears rather put him off.

From the Grand Staircase, two figures suddenly appeared. Hermione descended, her dress was a light pink and her apparently untameable hair had, somehow, been tamed. It was unfortunate therefore that she had chosen to reveal herself at the same time as Miranda.

Whilst Harry thought she had always been beautiful, tonight he thought she looked stunning, her golden blonde hair was elegantly arrayed in ringlets that cascaded elegantly down her back, whilst her dress was a dark grey and accented with silver in the same way as Harry. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry approached and gave her a short bow, she smirked smugly, and accepted his proffered arm.

"Champions! Champions, Oh hello Miss Rookwood, what a pleasure to see you again!" greeted Professor McGonagall, "Champions and their partners need to line up, Mr Potter first, then Mr Krum, Miss Delacour, and finally Mr Longbottom, chop chop!" They all hastened to obey the formidable Scots woman, and Harry grinned as he looked at the angel beside him.

The Great doors to the hall opened, and Harry plastered a cheerful smile onto his face, with confident and assured steps, Harry strode through the corridor of happy students and made his way onto the dancefloor.

Whilst they waited for the musicians to start their song, Harry felt Miranda squeeze his hand tightly in her own. "You had best be proficient at Dance Potter." She kept her happy smile on her face,

"So long as it's not Riverdance." Harry responded caustically through his teeth. The dance struck up a slow tone, and Harry led Miranda gracefully around the dance floor, at one point nearly getting crushed beneath the enthusiastic prancing and twirling Hagrid and Maxime were passing off as dance.

The song ended, and Harry clapped politely along with the rest, before he led his date over to the champions table for dinner. To his dismay, he found himself sat next to the preening Minister for Magic. Fudge smiled at him like he was a favoured grandson and initiated conversation. Harry, knowing the value of friends in government, responding with the perfect amount of flattery and charm, and by the end of the main course, Harry felt that the tedious man would eat out of his hand if he asked.

"I find it incredible that you have managed to maintain your position for so long Minister, coming on for 14 years isn't it?" Harry asked, cutting a slice of his steak into a manageable portion,

"Indeed, most Ministers last for far shorter terms, around eight years or so, fortunately the government has found my conduct to be satisfactory, and have deigned to keep me in office."

"Minister, you are surely to modest, It is your excellent record of managing government that has kept you in office, the public is a vicious beast, and would surely have called for your removal had you been anything less than perfect!" Fudge chuckled with a smile, lapping up the blatant flattery with a practiced wave of his hand.

"Harry, you are too polite, you should become a politician yourself!" the man laughed heartily and patted Harry benignly on the shoulder.

"Indeed, Mr Potter would make a fine politician Cornelius, he has most of the staff here singing his praises!" Dumbledore offered from the other end of the table. Despite the friendliness of the Headmasters words, His usual friendly tone was gone, in its place, Dumbledore spoke coldly, his words sounding like more of an accusation

"Headmaster, you are too polite, from such a _veteran _politician as yourself, that is high praise indeed!" Next to him, he felt Miranda squeeze his thigh warningly, his gaze was directed towards the Headmaster, and he had a friendly smile on, though his eyes displayed his anger at the subtle challenge from the Grandfatherly old man.

Harry was amazed to discover that despite the rest of the meal being steeped in tension between Harry, Miranda and Dumbledore, Fudge had remained completely ignorant. He continued prattling on about the first piece of legislation he ever passed, and the joy he got every time someone praised his actions. Even Delacour, judging by the piercing look she was aiming in Harry's direction, had noted the curious exchange.

When Supper finally finished, the tables stood up and began to dance again, Harry had Miranda tightly pressed against him, and they held a whispered argument throughout the first song.

"… Reckless, I thought you knew better," she hissed,

"Reckless? The man challenged me in front of the minister!"

"The man is the most politically powerful man in Europe you fool, It would be best to have him on our side."

"On our side, open your eyes Miranda. Dumbledore still have moved past me killing… you know, last year." Harry murmured, running the corner of his mouth against her ear.

"No, but there is no need to antagonise the situation, if he works against us, the future could get… sticky. Very sticky."

"Dumbledore will move to attack us until we are a direct threat, of that I have no doubt." Harry stated firmly, Miranda sighed,

"You're probably right."

"Thank you, now let's dance."

They danced together for two more songs, before Miranda begged off to collect a drink. Harry collected Olivia from Graham, and the two of them danced together for a couple of songs.

"You look very nice Harry, I like this outfit." Olivia complimented, Harry looked down at the intricate braiding of the jacket,

"I feel like a toy soldier." He grumbled, Olivia grinned,

"I don't know Potter, the Military looks suits you, it matches your reputation."

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By the end of the dance, Harry was exhausted, he had danced with all of his friends, and as the evening progressed from formal dance to more of a rock concert when_ The Weird Sisters _turned up, Harry found himself in desperate need of fresh air.

The gardens outside the front door had obviously been custom designed for the event, there were numerous twisting alleys, and dark corners for doing dark deeds.

Harry and Miranda walked in silence, Harry had unbuttoned his jacket, and wore it casually draped over one shoulder like a half cape. As they were waling Harry suddenly overheard hushed voices which sounded to be arguing.

"Severus, surely you have noticed! It is back completely. He _has _returned, it is undeniable now, ve must act!" came the hissed tones of Karkaroff.

"Don't be a fool Karkaroff, if you were to return to the Dark Lord he would kill you immediately, If I were you I would return to Durmstrang. The Dark Lord does not have the strength to launch any sort of international campaign."

"Vhat of yourself Severus? Your reputation is not so good now is it?" Karkaroff tone was mocking, and Harry could imagine a sneer curling Snapes lip.

"I will throw myself to the Dark Lords mercy, and trust in his wisdom to not judge me too harshly."

"Does Dumbledore know of his return?" Karkaroff asked, his tone distracted,

"He suspects, it is hard not to when members of his order of the Phoenix vanish without trace, but the Dark Lord has been keeping a very low profile, I imagine there are very few who could confirm his return."

With a jolt Harry realised that the voices were rapidly approaching in his direction, thinking fast, Harry grabbed the listening Miranda around the waist and swung her into one of the alcoves, kissing her firmly until the danger was passed.

"I suppose you thought that was very suave don't you Potter?" she asked disgruntledly running her fingers through her hair, Harry shrugged, his mind was a whirlwind over this new information, Snape was a Death Eater?

With his mind still reeling, Harry led Miranda back up to the floo In McGonagall's office and together they returned Home for the Christmas holidays, Harry for one, looking forward to a time where he could finally relax without worrying about dragons or mysterious eggs or duels.

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**There you are, not an especially important chapter, but necessary, I hope you enjoyed it, If you have suggestions for how Harry should beat the other tasks, give me a review or PM. **

**Lots of Love.**


	19. Chapter 18

**Good afternoon everyone, I am so sorry for the slow update, this chapter was difficult to write, and I was also dealing with a lot of exam pressure at the same time, However as an apology, this chapter is 7000 words, so longer than is usual, hopefully that is enough to get you to forgive me!**

**I hope you are all satisfied with this chapter, I tried to take on board the requests of several reviews. To those of you who will be thinking I've made Harry too weak, I disagree, Mariya Lytvyn is a prodigy just like Harry. I wanted my Harry to be brilliant, and probably the best, but not like so far ahead of everyone as to make for dull reading, every hero needs rivals and weaknesses.**

**I won't write too much here, but what I will say, is that the AN at the bottom is very important, so read it please!**

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Chapter 18

"Incendio!" Harry's command was harsh, and with a whistling sound, a great spurt of flame issued from the end of his wand. The Egg slowly began to heat, and within a few seconds, the golden metal had become red hot. Sadly, the increased heat did nothing to alter the wailing moaning sound that seemed to mock him with every note.

With a mental curse, Harry cancelled the spell and looked down at the screaming egg with a frustrated frown, Mothering dragons breathed fire on their hatching eggs, and Harry thought it was an obvious way of receiving the clue, maybe too obvious.

This was his second day of testing the egg, and so far everything he had tried had failed, there was no rhyme, rhythm or pattern to the wails, its only purpose seemed to be to give him a headache.

Harry sat down on a rock, he was in a secluded part of the grounds, hidden from view by a dense copse of trees. Placing his chin on a fist, Harry closed his eyes and let the horrific sounds wash over his ears, struggling to recall if he had ever heard such a noise.

With a sigh, Harry closed the egg with a flick of his wand, the latch snapping shut, at once the squealing silenced and Harry's ears began the slow process of recovery. Bending down to pick up the offending object, he withdrew his hand immediately as he felt the heat still radiating off the golden object.

_Aguamenti _he thought, the spray of water instantly evaporating into mist as it was boiled on the eggs surface. Once the hissing stopped, Harry cast a drying charm and picked up the now cool charm.

Once back in his dorm, Harry placed the egg in his trunk and returned down to the common room, sitting himself down in front of an impressive pile of books. Opening the first one, he immediately flicked to the back, and scanned his eyes down the long index, squinting slightly at the small writing.

_Transanimation  
Transfiguration  
Transmutation  
Translation_

Bingo. Harry thought, noting the page and flicking back through the book. _The Translation Charm_ he read, _is a relatively simple piece of magic, capable of altering the casters perceptions of a written language into the casters own. It will not affect the casters reception of spoken tongues._

Well Fuck. Harry threw the book down in disgust, before picking up the next, flicking again to the pages labelled translation, Harry began to read,

_The language charm can be used to rapidly increase the casters ability to pick up and learn a new language…_

Harry threw that book down to, and moved onto the third book in the pile,

_The audio alteration charm, can be used to convert sound in foreign languages into the casters own tongue, there are limitations, as it cannot translate sounds not used in the casters language, for example, the clicks present in Xhosa._

Harry grinned as he finally found something useful, shifting into a more comfortable position, he began to read. The book was little more than a glorified spell book, and it took only around a quarter of an hour to extract all the pertinent information.

Hurrying up to his dormroom, Harry opened his trunk and withdrew the egg, Harry eyed the thing thoughtfully, before opening the latch and allowing the golden casing to fall aside. At once, the room was filled with the cacophony of wailing and screeching.

_Audatio! _The egg flashed blue as soon as Harry cast the spell, but to his annoyance, the accursed egg remained wailing in a language that was definitely not English.

_Or was it? _He thought speculatively, could it be possible that the translation charm had failed because the egg was already speaking English? But the words could only be heard under specific circumstances? That would make sense wouldn't it?

Sitting down on the end of his bed, Harry closed the egg with a jerk of his wand and began to think, what would make sense as a way of concealing the eggs sounds?

Dragons were traditionally considered beasts of air and fire, and Harry knew that neither wind nor flame would release the eggs secrets, which meant it could be another one of the elements, he could bury it or flood it, and if that failed…. He could deal with it when the situation arose.

He moved to put the egg back into his trunk, before changing his mind, it wouldn't be hard to run the egg under the tap in the bathroom and discredit his water theory would it?

Hefting the heavy weight in his arms, Harry left his dorm and headed for the plush communal bathrooms. Entering one of the bathing cubicles he turned the cold tap to full power and placed the egg under its streaming jet. Another flick of his wand had the egg open, and to Harry's delight, instead of the strangled wailing that he had expected, a muffled voice seemed to be ringing, what had Harry particularly pleased however, was the fact that the sounds were most certainly in English.

"…_seek… voices… ground… ponder this…" _

Harry could have danced, all those hours of wasted effort when all he needed to do was put the egg under a tap. With very little hesitation, he stuck the plug into the hole and turned the hot tap onto full power. After a few seconds he got impatient, and with a wave of his wand a blast of cool water flooded into the tub.

With the three streams, it took very little time for the bath to be filled, cancelling the charms and turning off the taps, Harry stripped off his shirt, and stuck his head under the water, immediately, his ears were filled with, beautiful song, It took Harry a while to wrap his head around the fact that the noise the egg made above water, that off a cat having its tail trodden on, was the same as this melody.

_Come seek us where our voices sound,__  
__We cannot sing above the ground,__  
__And while you're searching, ponder this:__  
__We've taken what you'll sorely miss,__  
__An hour long you'll have to look,__  
__And to recover what we took,__  
__But past an hour - the prospect's black__  
__Too late, it's gone, it won't come back._When Harry raised his head above the water and sucked in a gulp of air, apparently he had been under for far longer than he thought, so caught up in trying to decipher the lyrics.

He would have to search for something, presumable under water, and he had a time limit of one hour. That made sense, and the only local body of water large enough for something to be hidden in was the Lake out front, this then raised the question of exactly what would be guarding the objects that would be taken, The lake was filled with creatures, Gryndillows, snaffle fish, Merpeople, the giant squid… Harry could list many more, but realistically, he thought the only lake dwelling creatures capable of negotiating with Humans to take part in the task would be the Merfolk.

When Harry went to sleep that night, it was with a feeling of far greater confidence in the future than he had had before, after all, the most concerning part of the egg was that it was seemingly incomprehensible, and with nearly two months until the task began, Harry was near certain that he would be able to come up with a suitable method to win.

The weeks flew past, and almost without realising, Harry found that it was February. The frost that seemed to have been permanently settled on Hogwarts throughout the Christmas period finally broke, although the air remained very cold. On Saturday 13th, Harry joined the rest of the school and attended the competitions second round of academics, and was once again stumped by the insane difficulty the questions posed, whilst he was confident enough on the theory of wand magic, advanced care of magical creatures was far beyond him, although he did chuckle when Hogwarts was posed with the question

"_Why is it a bad idea to attempt to outfly a Chinese Fireball?" _

A week following the academics, It was the second round of duelling. This round seemed much the same as the first, in that Neville lost every round, Fleur lost to everyone but Neville, Du Crest beat Fleur and Krum, and Harry and Mariya beat everyone.

In the build up to the second round of duels, Harry had noticed that _The Daily Prophet _had been suggesting that the match between Harry and Lytvyn was some sort of grudge match, and that there was a great deal of hate of both sides towards each other, Harry had thought this ridiculous, seeing as how he hadn't spoken to the Ukrainian girl since before Christmas, nevertheless, in the eyes of the British Public, the showdown between them was the most exciting thing to happen in a while.

Harry may have considered such ideas ludicrous, however when Mariya and himself stepped foot onto the gaudily decorated stage, it became apparent very quickly that the girl didn't share his sentiments. She was baring her teeth and snarling like some kind of rabid dog, and the thought briefly crossed his mind if she was going to be able to abide by the rules for this match, certainly from the look in her eyes, she wouldn't be happy until she was drinking wine from his skull.

"Duellists, are you ready?" asked the referee, a tall thin man with a very large forehead, Harry nodded courteously, whilst the girl opposite merely snarled more fiercely, evidently the referee considered this an affirmative, as he started the duel thereafter.

In hindsight, Harry realised that he had gone into this match with a sense of complacency, he knew the girl was dangerous, she was European champion after all, but after three very easy victories, he had rather thought himself a bit too powerful.

The initial few volleys had been typical, however, rather than wait for him to make a mistake, after only a few rallies of curses being sent back and forth, the girl had gone onto a heavy offensive, evidently attempting to wear him down. Unlike Krum, who had little else going for him other than incredible power, Mariya could back this approach up with clinical precision and terrifying agility.

The duel lasted over a quarter of an hour before it was ended. Neither of them were unconscious, and both still had their wands, nevertheless, when the referee declared the duel a draw due to medical concerns, The Hogwarts head boy was remaining upright due only to sheer will power.

He had taken several reductor curses to the chest, and was confident that he had at least three broken ribs and a cracked scapula, judging from the slow leak of blood from his mouth, he must have punctured a lung, this was all in addition to the several thick and bleeding gashes.

However, he had given as good as he got. Harry had caught her left hand with a bombarda, and shattered most, if not all of the bones, whilst two piercing hexes next to each other on her shoulder had reduced the limb to a lifeless hunk of profusely bleeding flesh. Her right thigh also had a nasty burn from a flame curse, and above her left eye was a deep cut, with a quite alarming flow of bright red blood pouring into the socket.

Whilst Harry was frustrated at the fact that he had been forced to finish the duel, it was nothing to how the Ukrainian was evidently feeling, as soon as he declared the match a draw she started screaming at him in furious Ukrainian. The referee was unrepentant, ignoring the Durmstrang girl and instead taking down the protective wards to allow the healers in. Lytvyn ignored them, brushing past the crowd, and limping her way into the medical tent, where Karkaroff was waiting.

"Could you sit down Mr Potter?" one of the healers asked, Harry sat on the conjured chair whilst the Healers had a look over his tattered duelling robes at the warzone that was his body beneath.

"It's a good thing it stopped when it did Mr Potter, You've done a lovely job of ruining your lung, its going to take a couple of days to get back to normal, if you're lucky." Harry waved off the reprimanding tone, and allowed himself to be led to the medical tent, where he ignored the wrathful glances of the girl sitting to his right.

After around thirty minutes of constant potions and healing charms, it was decided that Harry was in as good a shape as they could manage, and left him alone on the bed. Viktor and Miranda walked in, the first looking amused and the latter bored.

"You did Mariya a great insult today Potter." Krum announced, taking the seat next to Harry's bed and throwing his legs up onto the starched cotton sheets.

"By teaching her humility?" he asked with a weak grin, wincing as he sat upright and shifted his ribs, Krum chuckled,

"I suppose, but I vas thinking of you not letting her beat you. She has been eager to show she is best since last duel. You ruin her day." Harry smirked, and threw a wink at the Ukrainian, who was still glaring at him, she spat on the floor and turned away.

"She's charming." Miranda deadpanned, Harry grinned and sat back,

"Your English has improved Viktor." He complimented after a silent pause,

"Thank you, Hermi-own-ninny has been good teacher, she is err, patient." Harry rolled his eyes at the mention of the tedious girl, they spent a few minutes discussing the Quidditch Stars opinion of England, before moving onto the second task, where both of them denied having any idea what the nature of the task was, and both theatrically lamenting the fact that they had only four days to discover the clue.

"… _And I vill always be just Quidditch Player!"_ Viktor cried, throwing his hands up, Harry laughed, which hurt and set off a coughing fit, which hurt even more. He gingerly placed a hand over the damaged ribs and closed his eyes. Before long, Miranda stood up to go, evidently bored of listening to boys prattle on about _inconsequential_ things. As she left the tent, she turned to Harry,

"Oh, I almost forgot Potter, I brought you this, figured you might need it after today, you have an impressive lack of self-preservation." With an underarm throw, she tossed a small vial of gold liquid towards Harry, which he caught easily, smirking as he watched the Blonde leave with a small flick of her hair.

Harry unstoppered the vial, and immediately guzzled down the Elixir, closing his eyes in ecstasy as the aches and pains of a day of violence were washed away, when the feeling passed, he opened his eyes to see Viktor watching at him in confusion, Harry smirked and tapped his nose conspiratorially, Viktor took the hint and didn't press the matter.

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"_The aim of the champions is to retrieve a hostage that has been taken from them, and left at the bottom of the lake within the time limit of one hour." _Announced Bagman from a Platform far out into the lake.

"_The Champions will be awarded points on the complexity of the magic used to survive underwater, the speed with which they rescue the hostage and the skill with which they defend themselves from any threat in the lake!"_ There were cheers, and Harry suppressed a shiver, he was clad only in a pair of loose swimming trunks, the dagger he had been given by Miranda for Christmas the other year was strapped to his calf, whilst his wand was on his thigh.

"_Champions, you have one hour, your time starts…. NOW!" _There was a cheer as the bagman lit a large cannon, which went off with a boom. Neville, who was next to Harry immediately swallowed down the tangled strands of what appeared to be Gillyweed, before diving into the lake and vanishing beneath the grey surface.

With a savage flick of his wand, Harry felt the bones in his feet begin to stretch, the skin growing, as he transformed them into long, broad flipper like appendages, his body began to morph, becoming more rounded and smooth, Harry felt agonizing pain shoot through his back and neck, as a pectoral fin and gills grew. His skin turned a dull, wet grey, and after twenty seconds of terrible agony, he had transformed into a man-fish hybrid. He tried to breathe, but found himself choking on the air, he coughed, and with a hasty dive fell into the icy blackness of the water. He opened his mouth, and a feeling of relief flooded his body.

Transfiguring fully working gills onto his neck had not been easy, and there was a difference between practicing in the bathtub and performing under pressure. He gave a kick of his flipper like feet, and grinned as he was propelled quickly down into the murky depths.

He had very little idea of the geography of the lake, but guessed that he should be looking for the merpeople in the deepest sections of the icy waters. He reached the bottom and quickly swam through vast forests of thin green weeds, stretching for twenty or thirty feet into the water, Harry was cautious, perfectly aware of the potential risk of Gryndillows in such ideal ambush condition, in his hands, he held the knife and his wand.

His caution was justified, for as Harry navigated his way through a particularly dense area of plant life, a hand suddenly gripped his leg, he turned quickly, and spotted the ugly green skinned water demon gripping him tightly, with a wordless charm, he sent a jet of boiling water at the Gryndillow and it released him immediately.

Two more, however, took its place. The first sank its sharp little teeth into his calf, and Harry snarled, with a swipe of his knife, the enchanted blade cut straight through the beings thin, bony arms and it fell away, blood pouring from its stumps. The second apparently had second thoughts at seeing the fate of its companion, for it hastily beat a retreat. Increasing his speed, Harry hastily navigated his way through the remainder of the weed forest, and soon found himself out into the open.

As he took in another inhalation of water, he didn't so much taste, as sense what he knew must be blood in the water. He didn't know how, for if there was blood, which he was sure there was, it would have to be in such tiny amounts as to be unnoticeable normally.

With rapid strokes of his powerful flippers, he chased after the scent and within twenty seconds found the cause of the problem. Fleur Delacour was engaged in a brutal fight with at least fifty Gryndillows, they were attacking in waves, and it was only due to some truly incredible charms work that had held out as long as she had. Harry saw through her bubble head charm the total panic on her face as another wave swarmed towards her.

With a swipe of her wand, the weeds surrounding her suddenly came alive, and they wrapped around the Gryndillows, hurling them away into deeper parts of the lake not to return.

The charm, whilst very effective was unsuccessful, there were simply too many of the beasts and within seconds they were all over her, ripping at her robes with their sharp little claws. Harry watched in concern as she gave another desperate wave of her wand, boiling streams of water burned several, but they were simply too many and carried on their assault.

Harry weighed up whether or not to assist her, he had wasted enough time already down in the depths with his own Gryndillows and watching Fleurs struggle. If he was to have any hope of getting a good score, he would need to hurry up his search, and fast.

His mind was made up however, when a vicious attack from one particular Gryndillow popped the bubble protecting the beautiful part-Veela's face. The Girl let out a torrent of bubbles, as she struggled to breathe and get to the surface before she drowned. The Gryndillows were relentless however, snagging her down and keeping her from escaping.

Harry swam forward at once, with a wave of his wand, his summoned the French girl into his outstretched arm. When he caught her, he cast the most powerful area effect banisher he could, blasting most of the water demons back into the depths. The rest moved to swarm Harry, but with a quick jab of his wand, dozens of small rocks on the bottom of the lake rose and slammed into the massed ranks of the beasts, forcing them to bid a hasty retreat.

When the area was safe, Harry quickly turned to the French girl. She was unconscious, and her lips had turned blue. Harry frowned, before quickly recasting the bubble head charm, she remained unconscious, and as far as he could tell, she still wasn't breathing. He frowned, wishing he knew more advanced healing techniques, with a careful jab of his wand, he sent a weak banishing charm into her chest, the improvised healing spell worked, for the Veela coughed violently, lake water poured from her mouth and nose, and she started breathing again.

Satisfied, Harry wrapped his arm securely around her waist and began to hastily swim for the surface, just as the black waters were beginning to lighten up, Harry felt Fleur stir next to him, he made eye contact with her, and attempted to give a reassuring smile, though with his grey skin and fish like features, he wasn't sure how effective it would be. Evidently she got the message however, for she returned the smile, albeit rather weakly.

When he reached the surface, he located the platform and quickly hurried over, dragging the still woozy French girl behind him. Cancelling the transfiguration for gills, Harry quickly passed her up to a couple of healers, hastily explaining what had happened and what he had done, waving off the thanks of Madam Maxime who had hurried over to check on her champion, Harry looked at the large clock indicating how long he had remaining and cursed, 52 minutes had already elapsed, and Harry thought it unlikely that he would be able to find the mervillage, rescue his hostage and make it back within eight minutes.

With a frustrated sigh, he recast his transfiguration and dove deep down into the lake once again.

By the time he returned once again, his arm tightly clasped around Olivia this time, he was twenty minutes late and the last champion to arrive. Despite his poor performance however, there was a loud cheer when it was announced he had made it back. Giving the bleary eyed, if soaking wet Irish Girl a hand exiting the water, Harry cancelled all of his transfigurations, and gratefully accepted the offered hand from the French Headmistress.

The enormous French Woman nearly wrenched his arm from its socket, as she bodily lifted him from the water and dropped him on the platform. Harry spluttered, rising unsteadily to his feet and looking around tiredly. Krum and Neville were already back, Krum held a bedraggled Hermione Granger, who looked to be extremely shy what with all the attention she was receiving, whilst Neville was stood next to Ron Weasely, who appeared the opposite of Granger, and was basking in the attention.

With jolting movements, the exhausting Harry drew his wand from its thigh sheath and cast drying and warming charms on himself and Olivia, who was shivering under a blanket. He replaced his wand and gratefully accepted the glass of pepper up potion that was handed to him.

"'_Arry?" _Harry turned and his drooping eyelids landed on Fleur. He gave her a small bow, which she seemed to ignore, instead pulling him into a tight hug and kissing him on both cheeks.

"_You saved my life 'arry, I wanted to say thank you." _Fleur blushed, her arms still wrapped around him in a rather sensual hug. Whilst Harry was too much of a gentlemen to ask her to get off, he did cautiously crane his neck around to look for his own fiery blonde, as he really didn't want to be murdered by Miranda right after completing the task. When he didn't see her, he returned the hug, although keeping things strictly platonic.

"_And so," _came the booming voice of Bagman, _"With the Slowest time, Harry Potter rescues his hostage after 1 hour and 19 minutes." _There came applause from the crowd and Bagman paused until it finished.

"_We Judges have finally counted the scores for each champion, and award points as follows: Mr Viktor Krum, who finished first after 57 minutes, used partial transfiguration to great effect, and also fought off a marauding band of Wobble-Grabbers, we have decided to award him 47 Points."_

The Durmstrang students cheered, whilst the guests and other students clapped politely.

"_Mr Neville Longbottom used Gilly-Weed, and was second to reach the hostages, he arrived back slightly with a time of 1 hour and 4 minutes, we have decided to award him 39 points."_

The Hogwarts students cheered loudly in support, Neville appeared rather pleased with himself, even though his overall score was still laughably bad.

"_Miss Fleur Delacour used the bubblehead charm, however she was attacked by an unusually large pack of Gryndillows, and despite showing incredible skill and resourcefulness, was overcome by the sheer numbers. For her courage and skill, we have decided to award her 25 points." _Fleur, who was still clutched to his side, gave a frustrated sigh,

"I deserve zero!" she muttered, more to herself than anyone in particular.

"_Finally, Mr Harry Potter used a very advanced form of animal-human transfiguration to hybridise himself into a half man, half fish. He was on track to complete the task in potentially the fastest time, however he sacrificed his victory in order to save his fellow champion, later returning with his hostage in a time of 1 hour and 19 minutes. For his skill, selflessness, courage and heroism, we the judges have decided to award Mr Potter 49 points."_

There was a storm of applause, and Harry felt his eyebrows rise, a small grin forming on his face.

"even when you lose, you bloody well win don't you Harry!" Olivia joked from next to him, Harry chuckled, hugging his Irish friend close and smirking broadly as the overall scores came up on the board,

1st: Harry Potter, 94  
2nd: Viktor Krum, 91  
3rd: Fleur Delacour, 64  
4th: Neville Longbottom, 54

Harry shook hands with Viktor, prised himself out of Fleurs grip and together with Olivia trudged his way back to the castle, where Harry luxuriated in a long, hot bath, enjoying the feeling of the grime and slime of the lake coming off his body. When he finally got out of the steaming water, the tub was left a light grey, so Harry decided to take a quick shower to wash that colour off his skin.

Without paying too much attention to what he was doing, Harry changed into his pyjamas and collapsed onto his bed at 6.30 in the evening, he later discovered there had been a party to celebrate his victory, though he had slept straight through it.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

The next day was a Sunday, and Harry slept straight through breakfast, and nearly missed lunch. By the time he made it down to the Great Hall, the room was nearly full. As his presence became noticed by the Hogwarts students, several began to cheer and clap, soon the whole room was stood clapping, even the Beauxbatons students. Harry placed a bashful smile on his face and ducked his head in a show of humility.

When he reached the Slytherin table, he wasted no time in tucking into a full plate of Steak and Kidney pudding, mashed potatoes and a healthy sized portion of grilled leeks.

With a contented sigh, he put his knife and fork across the plate and leant back, enjoying the full feeling of his stomach. He was about to stand up to take a walk around the grounds, when Professor Snape approached him looking serious, Harry stood up straight and greeted his head of house neutrally, his mind running through what he could possibly have done to merit such and expression on the man's face.

"Follow me Potter." The man said tersely, striding off before Harry could answer. They made their way into the Entrance hall, however to Harry's surprise, they didn't head down towards Snapes Office, and instead the Potions Master led him onto the grounds.

"Where are we going professor?" Harry asked calmly, although slightly confused by the afternoon's events.

"Potter, when you arrived at this school, you were an Apathetic little brat, do you remember?" Snape asked, his tone hard.

"I do Professor." Harry responded neutrally, confused as he finally realised where they were headed,

"I wish today that had never changed, I do not like my students being summoned to the Beauxbatons carriage."

"Is this in some way connected to my assistance of Miss Delacour yesterday?" Harry asked carefully, Snape gave a curt shrug,

"I believe so, however I don't know very much about it myself." The man ran a hand through his greasy hair, "be careful Potter, Jean-Sebastian is a political powerhouse in France, and I believe he is waiting to speak to you." Before Harry had the chance to ask just who the hell this Jean-Sebastian was, they reached the Beauxbatons carriage, Snape knocked sharply on the door, and one of the boys from the school opened the door immediately.

"Potter is to see Madam Maxime. Immediately." Snape drawled, the boy, having no experience in dealing with a Snape glare paled, and immediately moved to let Harry in, Snape turned on his heel curtly and left, leaving Harry in the tastefully decorated carriage.

It was magnificent, decorated in Blue and gold, several tall windows lit the interior, an interior which was far larger than the outside, with a warm gold light. The French boy led Harry up a staircase, and into through to a large, unmarked door.

Rapping his knuckles smartly upon the dark stained wood, the boy gave Harry an inquisitive nod, before leaving him standing there. After a few seconds, Harry heard a voice commanding him to enter, and he cautiously opened the large door and walked inside.

The centrepiece of Maxime's office was an enormous desk, behind which the Headmistress herself sat, her face set in a concerned and contemplative expression, opposite her sat Fleur, who looked scared, and a tall, powerfully built man with silver streaked black hair.

"Ah, Monsieur Potter, do come in, 'ave a seat." She offered, indicating one of the available chairs strategically placed between herself and Fleur.

"Monsieur Potter, I am sorry to 'ave called you away from Lunch, 'owever there is a matter most urgent we must all discuss." She looked over at the man, and he nodded.

"'Arry, I will not be vague, I will tell you the truth. A I am sure you know, when a wizard or witch saves another wizard or witch, a life debt is formed between them." She paused and seemed to think about what she wanted to say. "When you saved Fleur from the Gryndillows yesterday, a life debt was formed."

"That is not necessarily a problem, wizards can live their whole lives with life debts unclaimed. It all depends on the nature of the wizard who does the saving." He recollected, Maxime nodded and the man opposite her took over.

"That is true Mr Potter, for Wizards and Witches." He began, his English was excellent, with only the barest hint of a French accent. "Forgive me, my name is Jean-Sebastian Delacour, I am Fleur's father." Remembering Snapes warning, Harry nodded his head respectfully.

"Yes, anyway, with wizards and witches, a life debt forms, and it may pass unnoticed by either party, the only real condition is that the saved cannot kill the saver." Harry could almost feel the _but… _coming up, but kept his face as clean of emotion as possible.

"But Harry, You see Fleur is part Veela, and life debts to Veela mean rather a lot more." He paused, "They tend to mean a bond of servitude to the saver Mr Potter." The man looked extremely tense, and his eyesight was fixed firmly on Harry.

The Slytherin champion said nothing, his face was kept carefully clean of emotion as he looked past the group sat at the table. Inside he was reeling, his mind rattling through solutions, idea's and questions. Finally he opened his mouth and turned to Madam Maxime.

"Madam, please may I use your Floo?" The giant woman looked surprised, though nodded, gesturing to a fireplace next to the door. Harry stood and took a pinch of powder,

"13C Emrys Gardens!" he called clearly, the flames turned green and he stuck his head in. The living room was empty, "Miranda?" he shouted, there was no response, "Minnie?" he tried, and the elf immediately popped into view in front of the fire.

"Master Harry sir, How can's Minnie be helping you's?" she asked happily,

"Minnie, I need Miranda, can you get her for me?" the elf nodded it's bat like ears and hurried off towards the bedroom. Returning a few moments later, followed by the elegant looking blonde who looked confused by Harry's call.

"Harry? Why are you calling?" Harry shook his head with a wry smile.

"Honestly, it would take far too long to tell you through Floo, can you come through, you will want to hear this, I'm in the Beauxbatons carriage." The girl nodded and Harry smiled gratefully, pulling his head back out of the grate. He stood up and cast a quick _scourgify_ on himself, removing all traces of dust and ash from his robes.

Ten Seconds later and the girl appeared, she stepped out of the grate as easily as though she had simply walked through the door, her eyes widened briefly when she saw exactly who was waiting for her.

"What's going on Harry?" she asked cautiously, he gave her a weak smile,

"I'm just finding out now… It's to do with the second task, the one where I was disappointed that you aren't considered the thing I would miss most." He told her with a wry smile, she shrugged casually,

"Dumbledore did ask, but I had just had my hair done and Frankly, I don't love you that much." Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead he pulled one of the chairs out for her.

"Mr Delacour, Madam Maxime, this is Miranda Rookwood, my girlfriend, I thought it wise for her to be present." The adults nodded and the Frenchman began to speak once again.

"Mademoiselle Rookwood, like I was telling Mr Potter, when Harry saved Fleur from the lake, he created a life debt bond between himself and Fleur." Judging from the look on Miranda's face, she evidently knew exactly what that would mean,

"Will the fact that your daughter is not a full blooded Veela affect the situation at all?" she asked, her voice hard, the man shook his head with a frown,

"Sadly no. To the best of my knowledge it will have no effect." Miranda nodded and looked pensively at the Beauxbatons champion, who had said nothing so far.

"Forgive me Mr Delacour, I am not as well read in Veela traditions, what exactly will this bond mean?" asked Harry, trying to keep his voice calm,

"It… well, as you may know, Veela are very… sensual creatures. A lot of their magic and power comes from err… Passionate emotions, love, lust and the like, this has traditionally meant that the life debt bond will tend to be itself a…. sexual partnership." The man looked rather sickened by what he was saying, not that Harry could really blame him.

Beside him Miranda let out a scornful laugh, and he turned to her with a raised eyebrow, she looked between Fleur and him and smirked, almost daring him to try something, seeing the ferocious look in her eye, Harry felt like the air in the room got a very thin very quickly.

"Well that's out of the question." Harry eventually stated, bringing his eyes back to the Frenchman, both Delacours seemed to sigh in relief at Harry's pronouncement. "However, if not sexual in its nature, what should I expect?"

"Well, Fleur's magic will push her into being loyal to you without question, she will not become mindless, nor will she lose her free will, but she could never disobey you, betray your secrets."

Harry and Miranda shared a meaningful glance, and she nodded subtly at him, he understood the message. "Monsieur Delacour, may I talk to Fleur alone?" he asked, the man nodded quickly and stood up, Maxime and Miranda followed soon after, leaving the two champions sat alone together in silence.

After several long moments, the French girl looked up at him, and Harry saw she had tears in her eyes,

"I am sorry 'arry, I never meant for this to happen."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, of that I can assure you." Harry sighed and rubbed his hand over the back of his head, "Fleur, I am afraid it is me who should be apologising…" he began, but the girl cut him off,

"Mais non! I am so very grateful, I…" Harry raised a hand to silence her, and she quieted instantly.

"Fleur, before I say anything further, I will need an oath from you that what your father said today was true." Fleur frowned in surprise, but quickly made the oath, the flash of magic satisfied Harry that she would not be able to betray his secrets.

"Fleur, I suppose I should say… I am not the textbook definition of a good man." The Slytherin boy looked at Fleur over steepled fingers. "I have plans, which if discovered will land me in Azkaban, and I know things that if found out will lead to the arrest and deaths of many people."

The French girl said nothing, but her eyes widened significantly, Harry watched her for a few moments, with three quick waves of his wand, Harry raised powerful privacy charms before continuing.

"The truth is Fleur, I have pledged my life to the Dark Lord." Fleur gasped in horror, "And in his name, I have intentions to take this country for the cause." Fleur was frowning deeply, her eyes wide,

"So… you are… Evil?" she asked, in the heightened sense of her emotions her accent was very strong. Harry gave her a broad smirk, and remembered what his master had once told him.

"Fleur, There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it. I chose the side who I am sure will win." Fleur went silent, though she still eyed him fearfully. They stared deep into each other's eyes, Harry's cold green meeting her turbulent blue. The silence went on for a while, before Fleur blinked several times.

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry gave her what he hoped was an honest smile.

"Because Fleur, I would like you to join me, of course, if that is not what you want, I will never bring it up, and you can live your life never needing to hear from me again, providing you tell no one of this little chat."

The Veela looked down at her hands for a few moments, and Harry could nearly hear her brain whirling as she tried to decide what to do. After twenty seconds she looked up, her eyes bright and resolute.

"You saved my life 'Arry, and no matter what, I will always owe you. It would be a… betrayal of my principles if I were not to help you."

Harry's smile was cold, and his eyes shone with dark amusement. With two flicks of his wand, he lowered the privacy charms and opened the door, allowing Maxime, Jean-Sebastian and Miranda back into the room.

Maxime took her seat behind the desk, looking between the smug smile on Harry's face and the resolute acceptance on Fleur's. Harry briefly caught Miranda's eye and nodded very slightly, she smirked and gave the Veela a cursory examination.

"Madam Maxime," Harry began, "I see no reason to let anyone outside of this room know what has happened in here."

The French Headmistress eyed him curiously, "Would it not be prudent to let Dumbleydoor know of the nature of the relationship between yourself and the young Mademoiselle Delacour?"

"I see no reason to. This life debt will not affect school matters, and I am already above the legal age of majority, I do not believe it affects the Headmaster in the slightest." Maxime looked surprised, and turned to the elder Delacour, who shrugged his shoulders with a small smile.

"Very well, If that is your wish Mr Potter. Fleur, do you agree?" The Veela nodded quickly, "Then it is settled, Jean-Sebastian, do you have anything to add?" The Frenchman shook his head. Shortly after that, the meeting ended, Miranda and Mr Delacour vanished in the Floo and Harry left.

As he strolled through the corridors of the opulent carriage, he whistled a jaunty tune. With Fleur under his command, he had a great deal of leverage over Monsieur Delacour, who, if Snape was correct, was very influential in the French Ministry. Then of course he had a new follower in Fleur, one who was completely loyal to him, with her bond to him being known to only four people.

Harry involuntarily let out a very broad smirk, it was cold and hard, _Sometimes_, Harry thought, _It was so good to act the hero._

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**A.N  
****PLEASE READ!**

**Okay, so as you probably recall, I requested suggestions a few chapters back as to whether or not Harry is to be a Politician or terrorist to gain his power, most of you chose Politician, so that's what I am going with. The Problem is, whilst I am a Politics and History student, John Foxton, my beta, admits to being ignorant of the subject.  
I don't want to publish anything without having it checked over, so If you are knowledgeable of Political stories, please send me a reivew or PM, and we can discuss whether or not you can help. either by checking out my skeleton plan for the chapters, or becoming a new Beta if that's what you'd prefer. Thank you!**

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**Those of you who think that the whole new aspect of Fleur in the story is unnecessary and that bonds between Veela and Harry are just an annoying cliche, that's kind of what I went for. A lot of this story is about approaching cliche's and then turning them on their head. the life debt bond is the same. I have never seen a story where Fleur gets bonded to Harry and he makes her a spy or agent for himself, It's a new take on a potentially flagging theme.**

**As usual, usual request for reviews, they're like crack to me.**

**Kisses and Cuddles**

**Marshall Angmar **


	20. Chapter 19

**Howdy Folks,**

**Ok, first off, I suppose an apology is in order, I finally have realised that actually these bloody exams are fairly important so I've been revising, add to that the fact that it was the Masterchef semifinals, McBusted concert (awesome)... all in all, it's been a busy couple of weeks, so I hope you will accept my apology, this story is not! abandoned! **

**Here is the latest chapter, coming up, we have the political arc, the next chapter will be a short description of the wizarding political system, and it will be uploaded at the same time as the next actual chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 19

It was a beautiful day on May 29th, the sun was shining and there was a cool breeze in the air. Harry was sat with the rest of the school for the final match of the interschool Quidditch competition: Hogwarts vs Durmstrang.

Whilst Harry was obviously supporting Hogwarts, it was difficult to not be entirely enraptured with the Durmstrang Seeker. Krum was a machine, he flew as though he and broomstick were one and the same. Swooping, ducking and pulling off impossible turns that left Diggory far behind.

At the current moment Hogwarts were leading 200 – 170, however Harry was perfectly aware that unless some kind of miracle happened, Krum would catch the snitch soon, he had already caught sight of it once, and it was only sheer luck that it flew into a knot of chasers just as the seekers were hot on its tail.

"_My Word!_" cried Bagman, who was commentating, "_Has Diggory seen the snitch?" _Harry's keen eyes followed his Hufflepuff friend as he fell into a steep dive. Harry looked carefully, but could see no sign of the tiny golden ball. Krum however clearly agreed with Cedrics assessment, for he threw himself into a dive after the boy.

"_In the confusion, chaser Marcus Flint manages to score another goal, Hogwarts now lead by 40 points, Hogwarts hopes of Victory rest solely on the shoulders of Cedric Diggory." _

Harry suddenly caught sight of the snitch. It was only one or two metres of the ground and zipping forward with rapid flaps of its tiny wings. There was a loud groan from the Hogwarts crowd and Harry looked up to see that Krum was pulling away from Cedric in the race for the golden ball. Krum was only 10 metres away, having left Diggory several yards behind.

"_It's_ _looking like Krum's going to catch the snitch and finish the game!" _shouted Bagman excitedly, "_He's closing fast, 6 metres…. 4 metres!_"

The snitch suddenly veered right, but Krum remained tight on its tail, pulling such a tight turn on his broom the likes of which Harry had never seen before. Cedric, attempted to make a turn of the same angle but lost control of his broom, nearly flying to the dirt. By the time he managed to correct himself, Krum and the Snitch had left him far behind. The chase had become even more of a one horse race.

"_Krum is on top of the Snitch, and yes! He's caught it, Durmstrang win, 320 – 210." _There was a storming round of applause from the Durmstrang students, whilst the other schools clapped politely.

"_That means that the final ranking for the Triwizard tournament is as follows, in third Place, Beauxbatons academy of magic_." The Beauxbatons team made their way out onto the pitch, there was a round of applause as they received their medals and shook hands with the assembled Ministry officials and Headteachers.

"_In second Place, the hosts of this tournament. Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" _The exhausted looking team followed the path taken by Beauxbatons to a rousing cheer from the students, Cedric grinned as he ran a hand through his hair rakishly, shaking hands with a pompous looking fudge, the French Minister and the German Minister.

"_And let's hear a big hand for the Quidditch champions, the undefeated team from Durmstrang Institute!" _

The stands rocked as the Durmstrang students howled their appreciation. Harry joined the rest of the audience in delivering a standing ovation to the scarlet clad champions. Viktor stood at the front of the crowd, his hands raised in a triumphant gesture, a broad grin on his face as he accepted the Quidditch cup from Dumbledore.

The Headmaster had his usual benevolent smile on as he congratulated the Quidditch star, Viktor nodded in appreciation, before raising the cup to the heavens.

If possible, the cheers got even louder, the whole stand seemed to vibrate as Viktor grinned widely, his smile threatening to break free from his face. He passed the cup to the boy stood next to him and the entire team took turns in holding the cup to raucous applause.

As Harry made his way over to the castle following the match, Harry reflected on the last few months, his interaction with Fleur had been minimal, she seemed to be avoiding him, which suited him just fine, in order for the girl to be useful, she needed to distance herself from Harry as much as possible.

One of the small advantages that Harry was really rather grateful for was the fact that he had no need to take his NEWT's, instead, his end of school grade would be determined by how he performed in the tournament. Whilst he didn't really understand how the judges were going to be able to judge his competency in potions from what he had been doing, he assumed there had to be a system.

However they were going to judge him, Harry was grateful that he didn't need to be pouring over pages and pages of notes like his friends were, snapping out at anything that came near. Exams were starting in a week, and it seemed like everyone was on a very short fuse.

Harry on the other hand was rather enjoying the fact that exams seemed to have distracted people's attention from him. He had grown rather tired of people following behind him, giggling as they read the latest Rita Skeeter article. The woman seemed to get off on attacking Neville and making him out to be some sort of God. Harry had enjoyed the descriptions of himself as "_The mysterious and powerful Head boy" _or the headline _"Misunderstood bad boy sacrifices victory to save opposition."_ However, the constant stream of praise got rather grating after a while.

That lunchtime, it was announced that there was going to be a party for all the seventh year students, including the overseas guests as a celebration of the Quidditch tournament that night.

After Dinner, Harry and his friends hurried down to the Slytherin common room to change into something more appropriate. When they arrived at the dorms, Harry slipped into a faded blue shirt, black jeans and a black waistcoat, chuckling as he watched Marcus and Terrence perform a duet to the latest Weird Sisters Ballad.

The party was excellent. There was plenty of alcohol, and a live band which Harry had never heard before, whilst he rather thought _Unforivable_ would never win prizes for their poetic lyrics, they had an excellent beat to dance to and there was a writhing mass of students dancing wildly, enjoying the chance to blow off steam before the exam season began properly.

"Harry!" called a rather inebriated Olivia, "come on, let's dance!" Harry smiled at the bubbly Irish girl and allowed himself to be dragged into the sea of dancers.

"How are you drunk already?" he asked bemusedly as they moved in time with the music, "The party's only been going for half an hour!"

The Irish girl gave him a smack on the arm, "I'm not drunk, I'm just having fun… you should try it sometime."

"Right…" Harry responded, catching her as she tripped over herself, and carefully putting her back on her feet.

"Okay, maybe I've had a few drinks, but no more than you!" she giggled, Harry rolled his eyes, as he shouted back over the loud beats.

"I'm twice the size of you, you elf!"

"But I'm Irish." She responded with a tone that rather suggested that her answer merited no further discussion, on reflection, Harry rather supposed she was right.

The song came to a very loud end, and the small girl grabbed his hand and dragged him off. "Come on, I'm parched, let's get a drink"

"Are you sure that's wise?" Harry asked with a grin, she ignored him, instead helping herself to a generous glass of Firewhiskey and Gillywater. Harry took the same, and they sat down on one of the benches, before long they were joined by Marcus and Graham, who were red in the face and wore identical wicked grins.

"Hey Harry, Olivia." Greeted Graham, sitting next to them, "Have you seen who Terrence is with?"

Harry followed the direction of Marcus's eyes and nearly choked on his drink when he saw the normally subdued boy making out with Mariya Lytvyn. Next to him Olivia cackled loudly, a stream of whisky and Gilly Water pouring from her nose, she immediately started to choke, Marcus patted her on the back with a grin.

"I feel sorry for the boy, that girl will eat him alive." They all chuckled, and watched their friend with the Durmstrang duelling champion, after a few more seconds the two broke apart and they broke into furious laughter again at the glazed expression on the Slytherins face.

"Sweet lady, may I have this dance?" Graham asked with a coy smile, Olivia chuckled and stood up, accepting his proffered arm with a curtsey.

The two of them left, and Marcus followed shortly after, leaving Harry sat alone watching over the happy students with a wistful smirk on his face. After a few seconds he saw Fleur walk over, she looked as stunning as usual, although her face looked troubled. She sat next to him saying nothing, and Harry didn't react.

"Harry?" He turned to look at her, she seemed to be struggling to say something, and Harry looked at her, "I…" she paused,

"Yes?"

"I… nothing, do not worry. Would you like to dance?" Harry nodded and drained his glass in one gulp, before standing and offering her his hand. She accepted with a smile, he led her to the dance floor and they swayed against each other to the slightly slower beat of the tune.

Keeping his hands firmly above his waist, Harry fell into the music and smiled, Fleur was an excellent dancer, far better than him, and she seemed to be having a good time, When the song came to the end, Harry clapped along with the rest of the students, but he was taken by surprise when he suddenly felt the lips of the Quarter Veela on his.

"Fleur…" he said warningly, pushing away from the French girl, "I thought you understood how this was going to work?" he asked carefully,

"I… I am sorry." She whispered, before tearing herself out of his grip and hurrying out of the hall. Harry sighed in frustration, running a hand through his short hair as he thought over what to do. With a muttered curse, he followed the French girl out of the hall and onto the lawn.

"Fleur!" he shouted, but she ignored him. Harry easily managed to catch the girl, as high heels were hardly appropriate footwear for the dewy turf.

"'arry, please, I am sorry, but please just let me go!" Harry held onto her at arm's length, looking at the distraught looking girl critically.

"Fleur, I thought you understood what this bond would mean." He asked, his voice cold,

"I do, I do!" she rubbed a hand across her eyes quickly, "but… my magic wants… It expects for me to…" she paused and blushed, Harry chuckled, and the cold look in his eyes warmed,

"Fleur, I understand, I do, but please, please try to control yourself. If Miranda had seen what happened in the hall, she would probably murder me." He grinned as she chuckled, "I'm serious, utter pyscho that girl, terrifies me most of the time.

She laughed, although it came out like more of a sob, Harry put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a brief hug. She responded carefully, and he was pleased to see that this time she kept her hands well above his waist.

"Do you think we could go back inside Fleur?" he asked with a smile, she shook her head,

"I will go to bed, I think it would be best." Harry nodded, and pulled away,

"Good night then." He gave her a short bow before turning and leaving.

Back in the hall he was confronted almost immediately by an Irate Irish girl, "What did that French skank think she was doing?" she asked furiously, though the intended effect of anger was muted somewhat by her gentle swaying.

"She, like so many women, fell under my impressive charms." Olivia blinked at him suspiciously, before nodding slowly,

"I hope you taught her better." Harry grinned at her and laughed as she nearly collapsed, Harry helped the dizzy girl into a chair and conjured a goblet full of water, she sipped it gratefully,

"I thought you were Irish Moran!" he joked, "and yet here you are, looking ready to pass out and it's not even midnight!" Olivia waved him off with a wild gesture of his hand. Harry left her sat there, returning to the party. By the time McGonagall and Professor Sprout arrived at two in the morning, the atmosphere had quieted considerably, _Unforgiveable _had left, and in their place, someone had turned on a wireless to a channel that only seemed to play love songs.

As the room began to disperse, Harry made his way back over to his Irish friend, who was sat where he had left her, head lulled forward and unconscious, completely dead to the world. Harry sighed and picked her up, carrying her back down to the common room.

He left her on the sofa with a blanket covering her, before making his slow way to bed, yawning widely the whole way there.

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Following Hogwarts coming second place in the academic competition to Beauxbatons, there was a lot of pressure on Harry to win Hogwarts the duelling trophy, whilst most of the school had finally accepted that Neville was incapable of out duelling anyone in the competition, they still seemed to have a lot of expectations on Harry to win the individual competition.

His efforts had thus far been successful, he once again successfully defeated everyone he faced, and once again, the organisers had decided to leave himself and Lytvyn as the last duel, seeing as how it was the one everyone wanted to see.

The Ukrainian girl had been vicious in her first few duels, in the run-up to facing Harry, she had severely injured Neville and Du Crest. Neville so badly that he had to be taken to St Mungo's to help with a severe concussion. Harry was sat in the competitors roped off area's rolling his wand between his fingers in a casual display of relaxation. Opposite him, on the other side of the ring, sat the Durmstrang girl.

Unlike the last time he had faced her, the girl was not looking at him like she was looking forward to gorging on his intestines, instead she had her head bowed and her body tensed. Harry allowed his eyes to leave his competition and look at the crowd.

"_2 to 1 odds on Potter, 3 to 1 on Lytvyn, come on People, do none of you want to make money?" _asked one of the Weasely twins who was holding a thick sheaf of parchment, his brother next to him was holding a sack of Galleons which he jiggled invitingly at anyone who came near.

Harry raised his eyebrows as he saw Professor Sprout place three Galleons on him to win. _At least I'm the favourite. _He thought ruefully. Finally the wizards who had been restoring the wards around the ring finished their work, and Bagman bounded onto the stage.

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final duel of this tournaments competition, Durmstrang are entering this match with a fairly substantial lead of over 120 points, however, whilst the school in red may win the school cup, the individual competition is much closer." _

There was a loud cheer from the assembled students, and Bagman held up his hands for quiet, a sign which was ignored and he had to wait for the roars to quiet.

"_With an Individual score of 168 Points, I present the European Duelling champion, Mariya Lytvyn!" _The Durmstrang students stamped their feet in support as the girl nimbly hopped onto the stage,

"_And the current leader_, _with 176 points, I present Harry Potter!" _The Hogwarts masses howled their support as Harry stepped up onto the large circular ring. He shook hands with the Ukrainian girl, who he was pleased to see, had regained the vicious look on her face as she squeezed his hand for all it was worth, Harry winked at her, she growled at him.

"_Mr Potter, Miss Lytvyn, this will follow the international duelling rules." _Came the referee's voice as he stood between the pair. "_Please take your positions._" Harry and Mariya walked over to the edge of the ring and stood, wands drawn, Harry drew his through the air experimentally a couple of times.

"_Ready?" _Harry nodded, "_Ready?" _Mariya gave a jerk of her head. "_Obey my instructions at all times, defend yourself at all times. Duel!"_

Harry launched into a chain of conjurations, summoning rocks, bludgers, animals and chains and hurling them at the Durmstrang girl. She blocked with ease, Harry grinned as he saw the pile of junk grow around the ring, transfiguration is a lot easier than conjuration, and also takes less time, with a quick flick of his wand, the dead dog at the girls feet turned into a nest full of wasps, which begin buzzing immediately. The Durmstrang girl reacted quickly, sending a blasting hex at the papery structure back towards Harry.

With a flick of his wand, Harry cancelled the spell and neatly sidestepped the corpse of a dog that flew towards him, the Ukrainian followed her banisher with a medley of blasting and exploding hexes.

_Protego! _Harry thought, blocking the incoming volley, each spell causing a bright flash as it impacted the invisible shield.

The audience was sat in silent amazement as the two students continued to hurl increasing violent spells at one another.

The ring was quiet, as each student only used nonverbal spells, occasionally the blast of a spell hitting the arena floor echoed around the stadium, as well as the whip/crack of magical discharge when their spells collided in mid-air.

Harry suddenly sent a jet of water at the girl, she responded with a powerful freezing charm, followed by a banisher, blasting the block of ice into hundreds of fragments which were sent hurling towards Harry.

The Hogwarts boy raised a visible shield and when the deadly shards struck it, they seemed to evaporate into a thick mist.

The ease with which Harry had so far managed to block all of her curses clearly was frustrating the girl, she sent a sickly orange curse at the Hogwarts champion, which he was forced to dive away from,

"Fault!" shouted the referee, "Illegal spell use, two warnings remaining!" Mariya nodded an apology at the referee, and the duel got underway once more.

With surgical precision, Harry sent a barrage of rapid piercing curses, their electric blue light slamming into the girls shield with audible cracks.

Mariya's shield broke, and one of Harry's curses drilled it's hole straight into her knee. The Ukrainian girl crumpled in agony, and Harry allowed his relentless barrage to cease. He may be ruthless, but Harry was still too well brought up to curse a girl when she was on the floor.

With a cry of pain, the Durmstrang girl cast a series of complicated charms on her knee, the bleeding stopped, but it clearly still was very painful. She stood up shakily, gesturing for Harry to continue.

_Tonare! _

The blasting curse wasn't aimed at the girl, but at the ground in front of her, Lytvyn yelled as the rubble burst out from the crater and flew up at her, she shielded her face, but several small pieces hit her in the chest, leaving bleeding wounds. With a furious growl, the girl transfigured one of the Iron bludgers Harry had summoned into a bear, whilst the rubble he had just created mutated into a pack of wild looking mongrels.

"_Oppugno!" _She shouted, and the herd of beasts charged at him. Deeming the enormous brown bear the greatest threat, Harry dispatched it with a butchering curse, which opened a long gash along its abdomen.

Before Harry was able to deal with the dogs, he found himself blocking the furious attack of the girl. Her aim was off, and Harry guessed the wound in her knee was making her rather delirious with pain, nevertheless, whilst she was not on top form, she was desperate, and her curses flew with a speed that Harry was struggling to block against.

Harry grunted in pain as one of the Dog's sank its sharp teeth into his calf. An area effect cutting curse easily dispatched the hounds, but in his distraction, the Ukrainian managed to hit him in the shoulder with a bone breaker. He yelled out as pain radiated down his entire left side. Gasping with every movement Harry muttered a quick numbing and petrification jinx, managing to dull the pain and prevent further damage.

The duel reached a quick lull in activity. The two competitors, both bleeding surveyed each other, the quiet didn't last long, as quickly the two began a rapid exchange of curses, several hitting, but the vast majority being shielded. Neither Harry nor Mariya was now fully capable of dodging with their wounds, and instead held their ground, both hurling a brutal cocktail of withering magic at the other.

As the exchange entered it's fourteenth minute, Harry realised he would need to finish the duel, and quickly. His left arm, already useless was now bleeding from a cutter, whilst a flame whip had caught around his right calf, almost completely restricting his movement.

Fortunately Lytvyn fared little better, her face was covered in deep scratches from a flock of birds Harry had conjured, and her right eye was oozing pus from a conjunctivus curse she had only partially blocked.

When they began their next exchange of curses, Harry thought that they both knew it had to be their last. Neither had the strength to keep this up much longer, and if they wasted too much time, the officials would call this match a draw also due to blood loss.

_Reducto, Hastis Glacis, Bombarda, Imprignis, Valero, Progeo! _The first curse in the colourful stream struck Mariya's with the customary crack/snap of two spells colliding. The rest however were more successful, the second struck her shield, the spear of ice crunching into pieces, the third also struck her shield.

The fourth spell, when it hit the tired barrier of magic seemed to bat it aside, leaving the fifth struck her in the stomach, she blinked a few times, before bending forward in pain. The spell was made the victim feel as though they were experiencing the throes of childbirth, and was used in the training of birthing healers.

Mariya gave a yell of pain and anger as she saw the red stunner flying towards her face, just then a spasm of pain shot through her and she couldn't react in time.. When the girl was unconscious, Harry grinned slightly wincing as the motion hurt his bruised jaw. He fell to one knee, barely conscious, but aware that there was a legion of healers descending on the two duellists, the last thing he remembered was the shout of the referee declaring him the winner before he passed out.

When he came to, his body felt stiff and sore all over, his shoulder was in agony, feeling like a thousand tiny needles were repeatedly being stabbed into his skin. With a groan, he tried to sit up, but Pomphrey's hand on his good shoulder kept him down.

"Easy Potter, you're in no position to go anywhere!" she barked imperiously, Harry ignored her and tried to get up again.

"I can hardly waste time in here Madam, I have things I need to be doing!" Pomphrey frowned at him,

"I think you will find Mr Potter, that when I tell you to, you jolly well will stay right where I tell you to. Am I understood?!"

Harry nodded and collapsed back onto the bed, grunting when the movement jarred his bad shoulder. He lay there for what felt like hours, though in reality was only around 20 minutes. During that time, Pomphrey stayed next to him, forcing a disgusting combination of horrendously coloured potions down his protesting throat.

Just as he was about to yell in frustration, Snape glided through the door, looking as much like an overgrown bat as ever.

"A satisfactory performance Mr Potter." The hook nosed man drawled, Harry attempted to school his features into a cheeky smile, but suspected it rather looked like a pained grimace,

"I'm pleased to have not disappointed you professor." He said, his voice rather gravelly,

"You will be pleased to know that you won the individual competition, it's a pity your…" his lip curled "teammate, was such a disappointment."

"Where did we come overall Professor?" Snape seemed to glower,

"Last Potter, Beauxbatons was able to beat us by four points." Harry sighed in frustration, before nodding slightly, it could have been worse, at least people would remember him for his victory. Nevertheless, it was a rather new feeling. Losing, he wasn't sure he was fond of the alien feeling.

When the ceremony for the duelling awards did eventually take place, It was a rather subdued event, Neville still hadn't returned from St. Mungo's, Harry's arm was in a sling and Lytvyn was walking with the aid of a crutch.

"_After one of the most spectacular duels I have ever witnessed, Harry Potter has become the individual duelling champion!" _Bagman announced happily with a wide grin, Harry stepped forward and accepted his large silver trophy in his good hand, holding it up in the air with a flourish, the Hogwarts students cheered loudly, and Harry smiled broadly.

"_However, despite Mr Potter's valiant efforts, the runaway winners of this year's competition is Durmstrang Institute!" _

Harry restrained from covering his ears at the bellowed cheers of the eastern Europeans, several of them fired spells from their wands in jubilation, the conjured fireworks making terrific light displays in the afternoon sun. Krum supported the limping Ukrainian onto the stage and together they held up the enormous golden trophy, easily the size of the Quidditch cup, pumping the air with their free hands, whilst reporter's camera's flashed in a dizzying display.

That night there was a small party in the Slytherin common room to celebrate the victory, but it was short lived due to the exams which were only days away. Harry went to bed that night, satisfied and happy, though still incredibly stiff from his healing body, he wished Miranda could have turned up with some elixir for him, but evidently she had been at work.

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The day before the final task of the Triwizard tournament was a Hogsmeade Saturday, the exams were over and almost everyone in the castle seemed eager to escape the oppressive studious atmosphere that had overcome Hogwarts. Harry however was not relishing the opportunity of freedom like his friends were. The day after the duelling final, he had received a note. The short missive was unsigned and had been delivered to him by Draco Malfoy who had received it with a delivery of sweets from his mother.

_My Dear Harry,_

_It has come to my attention that you are a duelling champion, I had no doubt you would be successful, I extend my most wholehearted congratulations.  
I am under the impression that this Saturday is a Hogsmeade weekend, you will take this an opportunity to meet with me in the same place as last time at two o'clock.  
I look forward to seeing you._

_Your Friend._

That note had led Harry to where he was now, in the dusty, unkempt lounge room of _The Hogs Head._ With a flick of his wrist, he threw two sickles to the grey haired barman and stepped into the floo.

When he was ejected at the other end, he very nearly lost his balance, looking around, he was glad to see nobody waiting for him in the opulent receiving room of Malfoy Manner. With a quick cleaning charm to remove the remaining ash, Harry swept out into the manors extravagant main hall. The large black and white marble room was empty, and each of Harry's footsteps echoed loudly.

With a false bravado that he was in no way feeling, Harry strode confidently around the wide staircase and into the small side room where he had last met the Dark Lord. Harry was evidently just in time, almost all of the thirty seats in the room were filled with witches and wizards, Tom sat at the head of the table, his pose elegantly casual as he reclined in the deep mahogany seat.

"Harry, Excellent timing, I was beginning to get worried." The Dark Lord said charmingly, a broad smile on his face as he surveyed the Slytherin student, Harry nodded in a respectful greeting looking around to find an empty seat,

"Here you are Harry, there's a seat free next to Evan." Harry looked down the table and saw Rosier sat immediately next to the Dark Lord, next to him sat the cowardly form of Wormtail, Harry suppressed a smile as he realised what was expected of him, and internally thanked the Dark Lord for this small opportunity to display his strength.

With calm and confident steps, he strode down the length of the table ignoring the interested looks he was receiving from the other followers of Voldemort. Stopping directly behind the rat animagus, Harry glared at the weak man and cleared his throat, the man made no movement, evidently desperate to save face.

Harry said nothing, but in the blink of his eye had transformed the chair he was sat in into two dozen snakes, the man squealed as the harmless serpents slithered over his body. Harry smirked as Wormtail crawled pitifully away from the table, taking a new seat at the very far end of the room, with another swish of his wand, the chair had returned, and with a graceful movement, Harry sat himself back down.

The Dark Lord was smiling at the display, chuckling in a cold, high pitched manner. Taking their cues, the other death eaters followed suit and gave a low chuckle, although they stopped immediately when the Dark Lord lapsed into silence. The mood in the room grew gradually more nervous as the silence drew on, eventually the Young Man at the head of the table rose.

"My friends," He spoke warmly, his eyes flitting around the room, "We are nearing the fulcrum of our plan, tomorrow is the third task of the tri-wizard tournament, all of our plans, all of our schemes, they lead to this moment." He paused, and his eyes flickered around the room,

"Tomorrow, with the generous help of Mr Neville Longbottom, I shall return to full strength, and together we shall return to absolute power. It is a long road of effort before us, but if we all keep together, I have absolute certainty that we shall have the nation at our feet." There was a small round of applause as Riddle spoke, his voice carrying easily to all corners of the room. The Dark Lord seemed to bask in the limelight, and after several moments held his hands up for silence.

"Tomorrow night, I shall call all of my followers, and those who return shall become a part of the future we shall construct, those who do not will be destroyed like the oath breaking traitors they are." There was a slow moment of silence as he slowly walked the length of the table.

"Lucius?" he called suddenly, the blonde man looked up immediately,

"My Lord?"

"What is the current situation of the Ministry?" Harry knew Riddle was extremely well versed in the government's state of affairs, so this must be for the sake of those less well informed who were present.

"The Ministry is a broken machine, corruption and ineptitude exist on every level and it is a miracle that even the smallest advances are made. The Wizengamot is fragmented into myriad parties and ideologies, it is only through the political strength of Dumbledore that Fudge has any check on his policy." He paused, and Voldemort gestured for him to continue,

"I believe that with only a little pressure, most of the ministry would collapse, most departments are near bankrupt and led by fools. The public is tired of their government's inability to act, and I am sure will be sympathetic to a united, effective force." Riddle nodded with a broad smile,

"So you see my friends, the world is ours for the taking, and take it we shall, not through force, or violent civil war, but through the very system that would have us destroyed."

It was clear from the looks on the faces of the death eaters that many of those gathered held strong opinions on this new plan for takeover, many of the rougher looking types had been hoping to display their strength and create havoc around the country, others however, those like Lucius Malfoy, Evan Rosier and others were clearly pleased at their new direction.

For another hour, the assembled followers planned for the future, Riddle played the consummate politician, he was charming, respectful and listened to each point presented, offering excellent opinions and gradually swaying those who disapproved of his plans to his side.

Finally, as the clock approached three thirty, the meeting drew to a close, the death eaters bowed low as they left the room, Harry however remained in his seat, with a swish of his wand, the door closed behind the last black clad death eater, and Harry was alone with the man.

"You did well Harry." Tom praised with a small smile, Harry nodded, but said nothing, waiting for the man to continue. "I am sure many of my _loyal _followers are displeased with the fact that I have taken someone so young and untested into my confidence, however I am sure you will prove you worth very shortly."

"I am pleased by your faith in me." Harry responded with a small smirk, the Dark Lord chuckled,

"indeed." He surveyed the boy before him in interest. "Has Barty informed you of the plans for tomorrow?" he asked casually, Harry shook his head.

"No. I have attempted to keep myself distanced from Crouch, Dumbledore watches me closely, and it would not do for that observation to pass onto Professor Moody."

"That is wise, very well, tomorrow is the third task, Barty has already placed the tri-wizard cup into the maze, the cup is a portkey and will bring Neville to where the ritual will take place, it is therefore imperative that Longbottom touch the cup first. Am I understood?"

"Of course, My Lord."

"Good. Given the… ability that Longbottom has shown so far, you may be required to engineer his victory." Harry nodded in understanding,

"I will succeed. I will hunt down Krum and prevent him reaching the cup."

"What of the Delacour girl? Do not underestimate her."

"Fleur will not be a problem, I will tell her of the need for Longbottom to reach the cup." Riddle frowned curiously,

"The girl is sympathetic to our cause?" his voice was calm, though there was an element of warning in his tone.

"Not entirely by choice." Harry informed the wizard with a smirk, at the Dark Lord's confused look Harry explained about the life debt, at the end of his story Riddle was laughing lightly, his expression one of pleased delight.

"Excellent, excellent, well in that case you must indeed focus on the Durmstrang champion. Krum has shown himself to be a powerful adversary. Barty will ensure that the majority of obstacles will be removed from Longbottoms path. Well, I believe that is all?" Harry recognised the dismissal, but remained in his seat,

"My Lord, forgive me, but… but have you had any luck with the purging ritual?"

"I have, we may perform it after the task, I was in Sardinia recently, a village elder told me of this ritual, after a little… persuasion." Harry nodded and tried to keep the relief of his face, it had been a great concern to him, whether or not he would suddenly lose control of his emotions and do something untoward.

"That is good news my Lord." He finally said, Riddle smirked,

"Indeed. Well, you had best be off, it would not do for the meddlesome headmaster to note your absence."

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The evening was dark, the grounds littered with shadows. Whilst the rest of the grounds were enjoying the mellow transition towards evening, the Quidditch pitch was alive with noise and excitement.

Instead of the usual stadiums which only fit the school, new stands had been erected which had tripled the capacity, hundreds of people had turned up to see the final competition, students, teachers, officials and politicians among them. Harry was sat on his own, rolling his wand between his fingers whilst he waited for the task to begin.

He looked around at his champions, Krum was talking to a man who Harry recognised as the Durmstrang students father, Fleur meanwhile was holding hands with her sister and clearly in earnest discussion with her mother, when Harry saw the veelan champion, his mind briefly flicked back to the conversation they had had earlier that day.

He had cornered Fleur in an abandoned classroom, the girl had looked confused as to why Harry wanted to talk to her, and her confusion only grew as he threw up a variety of very advanced silencing and other anti-eavesdropping spells,

"What is ze matter 'Arry?" she had asked, a slight element of fear in her voice,

"Fleur, what I am about to tell you is extremely important, and you must promise to obey me on this." The girl nodded, but Harry wasn't taking any chances,

"Swear it Fleur!" he all but shouted, the scared French champion quickly made the oath,

"You are _not _to win this tournament, It is absolutely imperative that you do not touch the tri-wizard cup first." Fleur bristled at him,

"You zink that you can exploit this bond between us to improve your own chance?" Harry glared,

"I will not touch the cup either, it must be Longbottom, do not ask me why, but it has to be Longbottom!" the girl looked at him confused,

"Longbottom? But why?!"

"It doesn't matter, but swear to me, that if you reach the cup, you will not touch it, and if you see Longbottom, you must not incapacitate him." The girl was confused, but she nodded and Harry let out a small breath,

"Good, in that case I wish you good luck this evening Fleur."

Harry had read up on the Veela bonds, and knew that even without making her swear an oath, she would have been forced to obey him, but it couldn't hurt to make sure.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, It has taken a year to get here" _Bagman shouted in his magically magnified voice, "_but we are now looking at the final task!_" there were cheers from the crowd,

"_The champion's job is simple. In the centre of this maze lies the Triwizard cup, the first champion to reach the cup and touch it will receive fifty points. The champions who arrive second, third fourth will receive only 25 points. In the maze lie all sorts of magical traps, beasts and enchantments and our champions will be made to show all of their cunning, strength and ability to reach the centre." _

Harry stood up as he saw McGonagall gesture to him and the others.

"Champions, you will enter the maze in order of position in the rankings, Mr Potter will go first, Followed by Mr Krum, Miss Delacour and finally Mr Longbottom. When the cannon sounds, the task has begun." The four students nodded in understanding, and McGonagall left them standing by the entrance, whilst his competition was surveying the vast hedges in front of them, Harry took the opportunity to subtly cast a tracking spell on the Durmstrang champion.

"_So, without any further ado… The First champion will enter…. Now!" _There was a boom from the cannon and Harry quickly ran into the maze, his wand was held carefully in his right hand, and his eyes darting from left to right.

Taking a quick left, followed by a right, Harry hurried through the dark corridors of the challenge, after five minutes he encountered his first obstacle. An enormous _thing _stood before him, at least 10 feet tall, it looked rather like an armoured scorpion crossed with a lizard, Harry had never seen anything like it, before he had a chance to properly examine it, one of the beasts tentacles suddenly shot a great gout of flame at his head, Harry dived to the left, feeling the heat across his cheek, raising his wand the Hogwarts champion quickly shot a severing charm at the monster.

The spell shot from his wand and struck the thing on its thick armour plating. Harry groaned in annoyance, rising quickly to his feet, he brought his wand down in a vicious slash, expelling from its tip a razor sharp blade.

The knife sped through the air, and with a dull thump, buried itself in the armour. The animal squealed loudly, but wasn't brought down, Harry advanced on it, sending a constant barrage of missiles, the scorpion retreated before the withering hail, its eyes and soft underbelly being pummelled by Harry's conjured spikes, rocks and knives.

With a final slash of his wand, Harry summoned a six foot long ice spear, which shot forward, and with surgical precision struck the monster in its right eye, the beast was down in a heartbeat, stone dead. Harry smirked as he strode around the corpse, quickly breaking in for a run as he carried on.

With a muttered spell, his wand span in his palm before coming to rest pointing towards his right, that had to be the direction that Krum was in, Harry hurried down the first right turning he came to, searching with all his senses for a sign of the scarlet clad Bulgarian.

As he turned around another corner, he found him, Krum was busy fighting off a giant spider, the acromantula was large, Harry guessed it had to be at least 5 feet tall, with long black pincers and eight shiny eyes that were sunk into its hairy head.

Viktor shot a ribbon cutter at the animal, severing three of its legs, the beast went down, Whilst Viktor was busy, Harry quickly sent a stunner at the boys back. The Quidditch champion crumpled seconds after a bludgeoning curse left his wand and disposed of the spider.

_That was easy._ Harry thought with a savage grin, he sent a jet of red sparks up at the sky before hurrying past the Durmstrang champion and the dead beast.

The night was dragging on, Harry felt like he had defeated dozens of traps and slain just as many of Hagrids pets, including one very frumpy sphinx, he had seen no sign of either Fleur or Neville, but when passed by a dead pack of dogs that had clearly been finished by some very advanced charms work, he thought that had to be Fleur's handiwork.

With tired legs, Harry ran on forwards, his senses alert and his wand held ready, as he rounded a corner, he across a long straight passage, at the end was a light, which Harry could just make out to be the cup, slowly, the Hogwarts champion strode up the path, easily dispatching yet another acromantula that tried to get him, when he was only twenty feet from the pedestal on which the cup was sat, he heard sprinting footsteps behind him.

Turning, he saw the bloodied form of Longbottom limping down the path, his face looked exhausted, and his wand shook in his hand. Harry stopped and watched the boy.

When Neville saw Harry, it seemed that his flagging endurance left him.

"Potter!" He cried in despair, Harry smirked,

"Good evening Neville." he greeted him,

"Aren't you going to get the cup?" the boy asked tiredly, Harry grinned widely,

"Of course not Neville, you are." The Gryffindor looked at him in utter confusion,

"Is this a trick?" he finally asked, Harry suppressed a smirk,

"Of course not, It's simple, you touch the cup first and get fifty points, I touch the cup second, and get twenty five points, thereby Hogwarts comes first and second in the overall rankings, and I still win of course. It's simple school pride." Neville looked at him nervously, and Harry internally crossed his fingers that Neville would fall for such a ridiculous plan.

The two boys watched each other for a few seconds, before Neville seemed to fall for it, he nodded, and without turning his back on Harry, he slowly made his way to the cup.

Just before the boy touched the cold metal, he looked at Harry one last time, the Slytherin kept his face impassive, and with a cautious finger, Neville touched the cup.

In an instant he vanished, sucked into a vortex to Voldemort, Harry supressed a chuckle and sat down on the pedestal, he was Triwizard champion.

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**Please Review!**


	21. Political Landscape

**So, as Promised, this is an overview of the British Magical Government system, if any of you have any questions or parts they think are unclear, feel free to drop a review and i will endeavour to answer your questions.**

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Political Landscape

As this is a work of fanfiction, I have decided to take a few liberties (shall we call it artistic licence) with the political system of the Wizarding world, whilst Mrs. Rowling goes into very little detail about government, I have decided to add in a parliament of sorts in magical Britain, otherwise there would be virtually no 'civilian' oversight of the ministry and it would be a very peculiar government system indeed.

First off, the Wizengamot will act as both a court and a governing body, the fifty judicial members we see in _Order of the Phoenix_ are chosen from amongst 211 members who make up the full wizengamot.

The Wizengamot contains several parties, these are unlike modern parties in Britain, and hark back to the loosely associated politicians of 1860's Britain, the members of each party have no obligation to follow their parties instructions and are far less well organised than we might expect in the muggle government, however they are allied under a banner of political idea's.

The majority of members of the wizengamot (150) are elected from the population in elections held every two years, a citizen does not get elected for a constituency, instead they simply campaign across the country and the most popular individuals are chosen. The remaining 61 seats are filled by members of Ancient and most noble houses such as the Blacks, Malfoys etc.

**The main parties are as follows:**

**The British Peoples Party (75 seats**): This is the largest party in the wizengamot, with Fudge at its helm, the BPP is very much a moderate party, their policies are relatively neutral, and they have remained in power for a long time due to the fact that they avoid controversial idea's and keep the status quo wherever possible, many members are chosen because of their loyalty to Fudge rather than their political savvy. They wear Grey Cloaks in the Wizengamot meets.

**The Progressive Party (50 Seats**): This party is smaller than fudges and led by Dumbledore. The members of the progressives are not especially united, and have many differing views, however they are all followers of Dumbledore's doctrine, and whilst they may not always approve of his actions, Dumbledore's personality is just about capable of keeping order. They wear Blue cloaks in wizengamot meets.

**The Traditionalist party (50 seats**): of equal size to the Progressives, the traditionalists are led by Lucius Malfoy and the majority of its members come from old pureblood families who wish to limit muggle influence on society, as well as ensure that the old families remain in a strong position of power, unlike the Progressives, the Traditionalists are a well organised and united party, with a strong sympathy for Voldemort's ideals, they are also the best funded party in government. They wear black cloaks in the Wizengamot meets.

In addition to the main parties, there are several small parties and individuals who vote solely to advance themselves.

The Head of government is the Minister for Magic, he has the power of Veto over any bill put before the Wizengamot, in addition he is responsible for leading debates in the Ministry and acting as Liaison to the Muggle world. The minister is elected from the wizengamot, and therefore is almost unilaterally the head of the most popular Wizarding Party. He can only be removed from office following a vote of no confidence.

The Chief Warlock is chosen from amongst the members of the Wizengamot. The Minister nominates a candidate, and this is then voted on by the government. The minister is also the only person capable of starting a vote to remove the Chief Warlock. The responsibility of this position is to act as an _impartial_ voice in government, as well as retaining order in debates and ensuring that all Wizengamot activities are performed correctly. In the Judicial Wizengamot, the Chief Warlock acts as Judge and in the event of an individual performing crimes against the Wizarding state, also as lawyer for the prosecution.

The final position in government is the _Master of Ceremonies. _This is a position typically given to an older statesmen incapable of performing more rigorous roles within government, it is a position of honour, however has no real responsibility or power and is more of an honorary role than anything else.

The wizengamot meets twice a week throughout the year, with the judicial aspect meeting whenever required.


	22. Chapter 20

**Okay, here we go, chapter 20, a fairly important one, it marks the end of Hogwarts and the transition into the wizengamot, please review, and give me your thoughts, especially on how detailed you want the debates to be, how much political intrigue you want etc, if you would prefer i steer clear of the realms of intense political debate, tell me that as well! **

**Many thanks to GreenGrizzly and Mrmacattac who have been brilliant in helping me out with this part, I doff my cap to you. **

**Here you go**

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Chapter 20

Albus Dumbledore had always considered himself a very level headed man, indeed, he often fancied himself one of the most controlled men in the country. However, when he received the news that Neville Longbottom had vanished from Hogwarts grounds after touching the Triwizard cup, he very nearly lost his cool.

"… an Outrage, I expected better of you Albus!"

"Indeed, the boy is a national icon, have you any idea what this would do to my approval ratings?"

"Who is behind this?"

The cacophony of noise was deafening on Dumbledore's tired ears, he sighed loudly and held his hands up for silence, Augusta Longbottom, Cornelius Fudge and Amelia Bones fell silent at once, Dumbledore looked each of them in the eye, the usual glint in his eye had vanished, replaced instead with a look that screamed strength of will.

"Ladies, Cornelius, I must insist that you quieten down, shouting will solve nothing." Augusta looked furious at him, whereas Amelia, who had always been a very professional and intelligent woman nodded.

"What do we know Albus?" she asked, indicating for one of the Aurors behind her to begin jotting things down,

"At 10.48, Neville Longbottom vanished after touching the Triwizard cup, given the magical signature left over, it was clear that the cup was a portkey, although we know not who charmed it." The Auror nodded,

"I understand one of the other champions witnessed the whole thing?" the head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement asked,

"Indeed," the aged headmaster's countenance suddenly turned grave, something the veteran woman immediately picked up on, "Harry Potter, the other Hogwarts champion saw the whole thing." Fudge perked up,

"Harry eh? Excellent, excellent, he's a very bright man Amelia, I'm sure he can provide a great deal of information."

"Albus?" the woman asked,

"Harry Potter is an enigma Amelia, but he is brilliant, he may well shed light on this event."

"You don't suspect he might be involved do you? It would be understandable, his family isn't exactly the most reputable." Fudge bristled in indignation,

"If that boy has proven anything during his time at Hogwarts, it is that he is an upstanding and model citizen. Head boy, order of Merlin, two special awards, his academic record surpasses all!" Amelia blinked in surprise,

"You seem rather taken with the boy Minister?" she asked curiously,

"He has a bright future, I of course like to foster young talent."

"Indeed, well shall we meet this boy then? Aurors." The party left the tent they had all been in and headed towards the hospital tent. The stands were still packed, everyone eagerly discussing the latest development, Albus ignored all the voices that called to him, instead leading the grandmother, the Department head, the minister for Magic and two Aurors to see the Hogwarts champion.

The tent was large and well lit, Madam Pomphrey was carefully tending to the French champion, who appeared to have suffered a burn to her thigh, Viktor Krum had already been dismissed, and Harry Potter was sitting casually on his bed. He didn't appear to have a mark on him, looking completely at ease at all the panic which had overtaken the school.

Dumbledore's concerns about the boy magnified when he saw the light smirk dancing across the boy's mouth. Albus met Harry's eyes and the two stared at each other. It was subtle, and the aged headmaster almost missed the look, but it appeared that the Potter boy was gloating, his smile, and the set of his eyes, to anyone who knew what to look for, it was clear that the boy had just achieved something, and that alone set the headmaster on edge.

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Harry's mental barriers were struggling to contain his intense feelings of success, he had just been a part of a plan to steal the most important part of Dumbledore's plans from right under the man's nose, and now, seeing the old Headmaster before him now, Harry was almost overwhelmed with happiness.

"Good Evening Harry, congratulations on winning the tournament, terrific work, truly terrific!" Harry smiled warmly at the Minister, firmly shaking the outstretched hand, Fudge was really too pliable.

"Mr Potter, my name is Amelia Bones I'm the…"

"Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" Harry finished, offering her his hand with a smile, the monocle wearing woman shook it.

"Indeed Mr Potter, I need to ask you a few questions about what happened with Mr Longbottom, you were, after all, the only witness to what happened." Harry nodded with a calm smile,

"Of course. Well, I was the first to reach the cup, but before I could touch it, Neville appeared, I allowed him to be the first to touch the cup." Harry was cut off by one of the Aurors,

"You allowed him to touch the cup? May I ask why?"

"By allowing Neville to touch the cup, I knew that Hogwarts would come first and second in this tournament. With fifty points, Neville beat Viktor, and with the 25 points that were gained by reaching the centre of the maze, I would still win the tournament overall." The auror looked surprised, but accepted the reasoning,

"So, you allowed Neville to touch the cup?" prompted Augusta, who was looking at Harry with a look of intense suspicion, Harry nodded,

"I did, Neville vanished, I assume the cup was a portkey, I sent up sparks and waited to be taken from the maze, Madam Pomphrey took me into this tent, and then you showed up, I'm sorry I can't provide more information, but that really is it." Fudge nodded and gave Harry a comforting squeeze on his shoulder,

"Not to worry Harry, you've been very useful. You did the right thing, and showed a great deal of school…" he was silenced by the sudden cries that could be heard outside the tent, a young auror suddenly poked his head through the tent flap,

"Minister, Madam Bones, he's back, Longbottom just appeared!" The adults all immediately hurried outside, Dumbledore sent Harry a last penetrating look, which Harry returned with a lightly raised eyebrow.

Harry stood up quickly, there was nothing really wrong with him now, so with relative ease he slipped into his torn Triwizard robes, and with deliberate steps he strolled out into the dark grounds, there was a large crowd gathered around a figure, which Harry assumed had to be Longbottoms corpse.

Pushing his way to the front, Harry almost lost his composure by what he saw, Neville was sat on the ground, Dumbledore leaning over him, whilst Fudge was rubbing his palms together nervously. Whilst the boy was covered in blood, his leg appeared broken and his eyes were bloodshot, he was very much alive, which to Harry at least made no sense, the Dark Lord surely wanted him dead? And Neville was a terrible duellist, there should have been no situation in which Neville survived the ritual.

Someone suddenly grabbed his arm and he turned quickly, it was Moody, who looked just as concerned as he felt, together the two of them escaped the crowd and hurried off to an empty portion of the stands, with several quick waves of his wand, the area was warded against disturbance.

"How can this be Potter?" Barty asked nervously, his eyes flickering back and forth at an alarming rate,

"I don't know, did the dark Lord mention anything to you?"

"Nothing, nothing. How is he alive?"

"I don't know, Barty, you had best get out, the portkey's back now, it wouldn't take too much investigation to discover it was you who created it." The imposter's eyes flashed widely before he nodded, he clasped Harry's hands in his worn, scarred ones and squeezed firmly,

"I will return to our Lord, Luck Potter."

"Luck Barty." With speed that belied his crippled frame, the withered form of Mad Eye Moody hurried towards the gates of the castle, his wooden leg swinging madly as he ran.

As subtly as he could, Harry joined the crowds of students milling back towards the castle, whilst he was sure that nothing he had done would be able to directly link itself to him, Harry was still very much concerned about the mere fact that the frustrating boy was still alive, Dumbledore clearly suspected him, and he wasn't sure how long he could manage under constant scrutiny without slipping up.

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As it turned out, Harry had been right to be concerned, the very next day it became apparent to Harry that Dumbledore was keeping a very close eye on him, wherever he went, there were whispers in Portraits, and many followed him around the castle, being remarkably unsubtle in their efforts, where the portraits were unavailable, Dumbledore possessed many, far more covert servants, from time to time, Harry became quite convinced that he had caught sight of the great tennis ball like eyes of house elves peering at him from behind.

All in all, his last two weeks at Hogwarts had led to him becoming rather paranoid, he was on constant alert, and the never ending fear of being spied upon was fraying at his nerves. The ministry was denying the return of the Dark Lord, stating that Neville was simply deluded after all the trauma he had experienced during the trauma, they had wheeled several mind healers who were all in agreement that the best solution would be for Neville to seek professional help.

Three days before the end of term was to be the official prize giving for the tournament, the ministry was apparently eager to get a great deal of press out of the fact that Hogwarts had won, and were planning some extravagant event.

When the day finally dawned, Harry discovered that his guess of the ministry milking the event for all it was worth was rather accurate. The great hall tables had been removed and replaced with rows and rows of seats, whilst a raised stage had been created for the legions of ministry officials and representatives from all three schools who were appearing.

"_Ladies, Gentlemen, honoured Guests, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to Hogwarts on this auspicious day." _Began Fudge, his robes were perfectly pressed, and his smile immaculate in the flash of all the press camera's around him.

"_Today, we have the very great pleasure of congratulating some of the very best wizards and witches in Europe. This year's tournament has been mired in controversy, and been the cause of much media and public excitement, throughout all of this, our champions have remained level headed, calm and intelligent, therefore I think I speak for all of your respective nationalities when I call for us all to take part in a round of applause!" _

The crowd burst into a rousing ovation, Fudge lead from the front, clapping his hands enthusiastically, whilst still maintaining the idea that he was superior to those around him, as many politicians are wont to do.

"_In Fourth Place in this year's competition, from Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delacour." _Fleur gracefully stood up and accepted a certificate from Fudge with a broad smile, whilst the minister held her hand for slightly longer than was appropriate.

"_Third Place goes to Mr Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang." _Krum slouched up to the stage looking surly and accepted the medal he was offered with a small smile, the crowd clapped loudly, and Fudge beamed for the cameras once more.

"_Well, in second Place comes Neville Longbottom, who surprised everyone with his unexpected collection of the Triwizard cup_." The crowd cheered happily at the sight of the second Hogwarts champion as he collected the silver plate for Fudge with a nervous smile. Longbottom had clearly been affected rather a lot by the incident with Riddle, he seemed constantly on edge, and if the dark bags under his eyes were any indication, he wasn't really sleeping.

Fudge seemed unwilling to be too closely associated with Neville, shaking his hand for only a second before hastily hurrying through the presentation of his gifts, Harry supposed that with Fudge currently attempting to side-line Dumbledore and everything he stood for, Fudge's actions did at least make sense.

"_And Finally, Our winner this year, also representing Hogwarts is Mr Harry Potter, Our Head Boy and Duelling champion." _There were cheers from the crowd, and Harry smiled softly and he strode up to Fudge, the Minister caught his hand in a vice like grip, whilst his other arm went around Harry's shoulders, forcing the boy to face the camera's, with a friendly smile, the Hogwarts champion waved to the crowd, allowing Fudge this little opportunity to gain some positive publicity.

"_Mr Potter impressed us all with his truly remarkable abilities and quick thinking, he has remained in the lead for every one of the tasks he faced and stormed to Victory in this tournament." _Fudge smiled down at Harry as though he were an old friend, before turning and accepting the massive Cup from an aide.

With a great deal of flourish and pomp, the gold and silver cup was handed to the Hogwarts head boy, who accepted it with a broad grin, turning to the crowd, he held the cup high over his head, there was a roar of approval from the Hogwarts students which shook the Great Hall and felt as if they might break the windows, Harry punched the air with the cup before turning back to the minister, who was calling for quiet.

"_Yes, yes, well done Mr Potter!_" Commented Fudge, "_However, not just through the course of this tournament, but throughout his entire magical education, and all his time in the magical world, Harry Potter has demonstrated intelligence, bravery and goodness of spirit, he had worked hard to remove the stain that has been left upon his family's name due to the actions of his father, and for this, I applaud him." _

Harry had no idea what was happening, Fudge had mentioned none of this, he briefly looked up at the minister and stopped a frown appearing on his face, but only just, the Minister was looking like the cat who caught the canary, a smile across his round face.

"_In recognition of Mr Potter's achievements, contributions and dedication over the last seven years, it has been decided that the Potter Family seat on the Wizengamot shall be reinstated to Harry, effective immediately!" _Harry's impressive Occlumency shields very nearly broke, he was in shock, amazed that Fudge would do something like this.

"_Congratulations Harry, and thank you, for everything, I hope a long career in politics is ahead of you!" _Fudge said with a small wink. Harry blinked slowly, before plastering a grateful expression on his face and firmly shaking the minister's hand once more, smiling for the cameras.

As he walked back to his seat, the heavy Triwizard cup held firmly in his hand, Harry never noticed the group at the back of the hall who were watching him with a degree of trepidation, Dumbledore sighed in frustration at Fudges antics, if the Minister believed that adding Harry to the wizengamot would gain him a new seat, well, the man was clearly delusional. Next to him, he saw Black and the real Moody displaying more visible disapproval, whilst Amelia Bones was watching the boy sceptically, still not entirely convinced by Dumbledore's accusations at the boy.

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Four days later, Harry was back in London, for the first time since he could remember, his future was not set out for him, he didn't have Mrs Phelps ordering him about, nor did he have school. Whilst he knew that his ties to the Dark Lord would limit some of his options, he was still relishing in his new freedom. He looked up at the clock, he was due to be meeting with Riddle shortly, Harry hoped in order to perform the purging ritual, as well as strategize for the future.

With a muffled sigh, the raven haired man rose and stepped out onto the street, it was a lovely June day, the sun was beating down on his head, whilst a light breeze played with his short hair, with a simple motion, Harry drew his wand and turned, vanishing into the void. Where he appeared, Harry had no idea, it was on the side of an unkempt hillside, beyond the hill, he saw a small town bustling below him, a church spire rising well above the rest of the buildings.

Behind him, Harry discovered what he had come for, a tall manor house, once it must have been magnificent, however now it seemed rather run down, green moss grew on the white paintwork, and several windows had been smashed and hastily boarded up. Harry took a few steps forward cautiously, but to his surprise he could feel no wards defending the property.

"Quite a place isn't it Potter?" came a voice from the door, Harry looked up and nodded at the speaker, Evan Rosier was leaning against the doorframe, his dense frame looking completely at ease.

"It's certainly something." Harry replied noncommittally, Rosier chuckled and nodded, before waving Harry forward,

"Come on, the Dark Lord is waiting for you."

"What happened on the night of the third task?" he asked, Rosier shook his head with a frown,

"I won't tell you, but you will be pleased to know that everything went according to plan, except of course that the Longbottom shit somehow managed to survive." Harry chuckled and followed the elder man through the long corridors of the impressive building, they reached a small door, and Rosier hesitated with his hand upon the handle.

"Potter, Harry, I feel I should warn you, the man waiting for you is not the man you met before, behind this door waits the Dark Lord from 15 years ago, you will find him far less.. Forgiving than you may be used to."

"I understand." Harry replied with a small nod, Rosier dipped his head and pushed open the door. Inside was a magnificent room, the far wall was made of floor to ceiling windows, through which the afternoon sunshine poured through, bathing the room in warm light, a long table was in the middle, each place filled by a Death Eater, whilst at the Head of the Table, sat the Dark Lord.

It was immediately clear that this was not the same Dark Lord that Harry knew, Voldemort had lost all of his casual elegance, instead he was sat, leaning forward slightly, a cruel smirk on his face, his red eyes radiating malice, Harry thought he understood what was meant by Rosier when he spoke of a lack of forgiveness.

"Evan, Harry. Come in, sit down." The Dark Lords voice was soft, cruel and hinted at amusement, with confident steps, Harry followed Harry to what he now viewed as his customary seat, next to Rosier, just one place away from the Dark Lord, and opposite Barty,

Voldemort began the meeting quickly, explaining to his assembled followers what had happened when he fought Longbottom, both in the Graveyard where the ritual had occurred, and when the boy-saviour was just a baby. Indeed, it appeared that this new Dark Lord was rather fond of his own voice, for half an hour he regaled them with tales of his strength, praising some of his followers and punishing others with liberal uses of the cruciatus curse.

At three o'clock, the assembled Death Eaters were dismissed, although Harry, Evan and Lucius were held behind.

"My Friends, you have all proven yourselves to me" The Dark Lord began, "Therefore, as a token of my pleasure, I offer you the opportunity to undergo a ritual, this ritual will purge away the corruption of Dark Magic from your souls, returning your mental state to that of a true light wizard." Harry smiled slightly,

"Will any of you accept my gift?" Harry nodded and stepped forward, behind him he felt the other two mirror his actions. "Excellent, then my friends, follow me."

"My Lord, will you not undergo the ritual yourself?" Harry asked, keeping his tone calm, the Dark Lord sneered,

"Of course not, I see no reason to, are you suggesting I am deficient Potter?" The scarlet irises bore down on the boy angrily,

"No my Lord, merely I understood you had searched for this ritual for your own benefit." The Dark Lord looked a little appeased,

"You are correct, I had thought to use it for myself, nevertheless, my power now is without equal, my strength of will can overcome the effects of the corruption."

"My Lord, it would be wise to rid yourself of all imperfections, thus allowing you to focus on you goals." Harry suggested, as soon as he said it, he regretted his words,

"_Crucio!" _

Harry had never experienced the torture curse before, and as soon as the spell struck him, he prayed he never felt it again, the pain was agonising, as though his every nerve was on fire, he held in his screams as long as possible, but it was impossible, there was nothing, nothing in the world comparable to the agony he felt now.

After twenty seconds he felt the spell be lifted and he lay on the floor panting, his throat feeling raw and his limbs spasming with his every heartbeat, dimly he became aware of the Dark Lords voice above him.

"In the future Potter, perhaps you will not suggest me to be _imperfect, _it would be unpleasant for you."

"Apologies my Lord." Harry gasped out, slowly rising to his feet.

"Despite your impertinence, your suggestion has merit, I will undergo the ritual." Harry nodded, clasping his shaking hands behind his back.

Together, the four of them made their way through the house and up the stairs to the first floor, The Dark Lord had evidently prepared the room for the ritual, Harry saw many runes and rune clusters painted on the floor, whilst a ritual circle had been created on the floor, in the middle of which sat a bronze goblet. 0

The ritual was remarkably simple, and took only minutes, when it was complete, Harry felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, his mind seemed to be free, whilst he had felt fine before, now he felt… better, no longer was there a constant anger bubbling in the pit of his mind, it was magnificent.

The Dark Lord clearly felt it far more strongly than he did, indeed, in addition to the mental changes, the irises of his eyes, which had been blood red reverted to their previous slate grey, and he stood taller.

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"I do apologise Harry." The Dark Lord offered, "and I thank you."

"It was no problem."

"Now we are all complete, and I am in my right mind, I feel we should all have a talk." Began Riddle, his blue eyes on the three sat behind his desk,

"Harry, you may choose what you wish to do, you may take a seat in the wizengamot, held mould the nation in to how we want it, or you may give your seat to one of my followers as a proxy, and work elsewhere. It is thanks to you that I am whole, therefore this is my reward."

Harry didn't comment on how not forcing him into a career was a gift, instead nodding appreciatively,

"I will join the Wizengamot." He finally said, fingers steepled before his face, "it seems the most… elegant future." Riddle nodded once,

"Excellent, Lucius, you shall assist Harry as he needs it, though I am sure it will not take too much effort on your part." Lucius nodded immediately,

"As you say my Lord, the Wizengamot meets on Thursday Mr Potter, however I recommend you attend in a spectator role only, it would not do for you to enter politics unprepared. When you do feel ready, It is customary for each new arrival to make a short speech, this needn't be world changing, however most members will judge you on it, therefore I suggest you think wisely on what you shall say."

"I understand, what time on Thursday shall I make myself present?" Harry asked, his tone interested and his attention fully focused on the man before him.

"The meeting shall start at nine, however, it is the first meeting of the new political year, so I would arrive early, there tends to be a greater interest in the first meetings."

Lucius proceeded to drill Harry in the things he should look out for, which factions existed in each party, who was popular or unpopular in their parties, and other essential knowledge, Harry nodded several times where appropriate and asked a few pertinent questions, but other than that remained silent, listening intently.

When he finally returned home late that afternoon, it was to discover that Miranda was already waiting for him, she listened in interest as he described the meeting, and her eyes widened in concern when she learned he had been subjected to the cruciatus.

"But the ritual worked?" she asked, "the Dark Lord is no longer… affected?" Harry shrugged,

"I don't know, certainly he seemed far more like himself than he had done previously, I think it safe to say it has had a strong effect, though I can't be sure how long it will last." Miranda nodded slowly in understanding

"what of the Ministry, you surely do not plan to join straight away?"

Harry laughed slightly, "Merlins Beard no! Lucius suggested spending the first several meetings in the observer's chambers, to simply learn how the Wizengamot functions."

"I watched a few of their meetings, It is tremendously dull, perhaps if you liven things up a little I will watch some more." Harry grinned and pulled her in for a hug,

"Liven things up? Madam this is politics, the last thing we want is for it to be fun!" Miranda sneered at him, before pushing her nose into the crook of his neck with a loud sigh, Harry smirked broadly.

Early that Thursday morning, Harry found himself in an old phone booth that he was told was the visitors entrance to the ministry of magic, with careful fingers, he stamped in the code, and with a huge groaning creek, the door began to slide down.

The descent lasted a long time, the loud coughing rattle seemed to vibrate his very bones and when the grilled doors finally slid open, Harry was very relieved to step out into the opulence of the Ministry welcoming hall. With deliberate steps, Harry strode through the hall to the Security desk to check in, the portly man behind the desk looked tired, in one hand he held a scroll of parchment, and the other a steaming mug of coffee, evidently the early hour was taking its toll on him.

"Good Morning Sir." Harry greeted respectfully, he got a nod of the head back in reply.

"I am here to observe the Wizengamot meeting, I understand it is being held this morning?" the man finally spoke in a gruff tone,

"'ats right, observers are on the third floor. I'll need yer wand." Harry nodded and held the thin stick of yew out to the man, he took in carefully and placed it on what appeared to be an old fashioned set of the scales, there was a dull buzz before a strip of parchment shot out of a narrow slit, the security wizard caught it with practiced ease.

"Yew and Phoenix feather?" Harry nodded, "and you are Mr Harry Potter?" Again, Harry nodded and the man seemed satisfied. He handed Harry back his wand, as well as a badge, Harry looked down at it for a moment with raised eyebrows, it read

_Harry Potter_

_Political Visionary_

With a shake of his head, Harry pinned the black disk to his robes and headed over to the bank of waiting lifts, there was a very short queue, and before long he found himself inside the golden gates and making his loud progress up to the second floor.

"_Level Two: Department of Magical law Enforcement." _Came a cheerful female voice. Harry stepped out and found himself in a busy section of the Ministry, Wizards and witches in the robes of the Auror corps were stood and sat in deep concentration, whilst others were apparently swamped by mountains of paperwork. Harry looked around, but saw nothing that would indicate a place for observation of the Wizengamot.

"Are you lost young man?" came a deep rich voice, Harry looked around and saw a huge black Auror looking at him kindly, Harry put an embarrassed half smile on his face,

"I'm not sure, I was told this is the correct place to come if I wished to observe the Wizengamot today?" The wizard nodded brightly,

"Aha, A politician eh?" he laughed deeply, "Gibbs!" The last words were shouted loudly, and a young fresh faced wizard hurried forward,

"Yes Auror Shacklebolt?" he asked, given his limited knowledge of the Auror department, Harry guessed he must have been a rookie.

"Mr…" he looked at Harry's nametag, and his eyes widened briefly, "Mr Potter wishes to watch todays Gamot meet, please show him to the observation room." Gibbs nodded and indicated for Harry to follow,

"So Mr Potter, do you have an interest in Politics?" the man asked,

"I do, but I thought it wise to know what I was getting myself into before setting anything in stone." The young man nodded,

"I could never do politics… I get tongue tied far too easily!" Harry chuckled, and nodded,

"Well many would argue that the Aurors are a far more important aspect of the government than the Wizengamot." He argued, Gibbs blushed slightly and smiled,

"I think you'll go far in Politics, you flatterer!" he laughed, Harry waved off the comment, and the two briefly walked in silence, before long reaching a plain black door,

"Right through here Mr Potter." Gibbs instructed, Harry nodded his thanks and twisted the nob, entering the darker room inside.

There were already several people waiting inside, from the looks of them, many were reporters, although others looked to be merely interested members of the public. The observation room was high up on the back wall of the Wizengamot hall. Before him, Harry could see hundreds of benches lined up, arranged like a Greek auditorium, at the front of the hall stood a pedestal, with three main seats and a dozen smaller seats arranged behind.

The room was mainly empty, although several of the seats had begun to fill up, every now and then, a wizard in the traditional robes would stride through the door, wave to a few of their acquaintances and take a seat. Harry briefly looked down at his watch, it was still only 8.10, another fifty minutes until anything began.

Harry casually ran his hand through his hair, briefly considering the fact that he needed a haircut, before taking one of the many vacant seats in the front row, from where he was able to observe the entire Hall with ease.

Sitting back in a relaxed pose, Harry casually watched as the Hall began to fill up, by 8.45, the trickle of bodies entering the hall had become more of a stream, Harry watched with interest that everyone present appeared to have their own set seats, and given what he knew of certain members of the Wizengamots allegiance, he quickly realised that they sat according to their parties.

The _BPP_, as the ruling party, sat in the middle their members all wearing grey cloaks, it was fairly obvious that they were the largest party in the room, to the left, the black clad _Traditionalists_ seemed to be far more alert, at the front of the group sat Lucius Malfoy, Harry watched as he politely greeted a member of his party, and got engrossed in a debate.

On the opposite side of the hall sat the Blue Cloaked _Progressives_, unlike the other groups in the hall, many of them seemed ill at ease with the company they sat in, and Harry was interested to see several individuals in what appeared to be heated arguments. On the fringes of the hall were a number of smaller groups, the colours of their cloaks appeared a kaleidoscope of colour, reds, purples and greens were but a small fraction.

With a scrape and rustle of cloaks, Harry watched as the assembled Wizards and Witches rose to their feet, at the front of the hall, Dumbledore, Fudge and a dozen aides strode into the hall. The Minister and chief warlock took their seats in two of the three high backed chairs, whilst the scribes and secretaries sat behind them.

Dumbledore stood up and walked to the front.

"Wizards and Witches, members of this esteemed governing bodies, please sit." The hall sat, "I, Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, hereby call this, the first meeting of the 382nd year of this government into session." He stopped speaking for a moment, pulling a long sheaf of parchment out of his robes.

"The first item on today's agenda is as follows, following last year's spate of Muggle Dragon sightings, the Dragon keepers Guild have requested an increase in their funding so that they might increase the warding around their preserves."

There was a mutter of interest from a few members, Harry watched in interest as a member of Fudges party stood up to go against the motion, only to be countered by one of Dumbledore's lackeys. Whilst at first he was fascinated by the arguments, he quickly realised how dull this all was, after an hour of the wizengamot meeting having begun, they were still only on item number two, a proposal from the department of Magical Transportation to restrict access to Muggle Fireplaces.

At one o'clock, there was a break of lunch, and after that, the meet resumed. Harry watched in awe as Dumbledore argued, the man was brilliant, his points clear and logical, it appeared no one in the hall could match him, although Lucius Malfoy held his own against the headmaster on several occasions.

Eventually, at four o'clock, the list was eventually abandoned for the day, and the time arrived for individual members to propose arguments. The first man who stood up was a mousy haired man from the Progressives.

"_The Wizengamot recognises Mr Diggle." _Called Fudge, the man bowed shortly,

"_Assembled Wizards and Witches." _He called in a magically magnified voice, "_I am here to address a matter of grave National Security." _There was a rumble of interest "_Evidence exists which proves the return of the Dark Wizard, You-Know-Who, This government _must _act in order to prevent our own destruction!" _

The man was drowned out as loud calls of support and anger were heard throughout the Hall. With a wave of his wand, one of the Aurors guarding the room made a noise like a gun, which gradually silenced the room.

"_Mr Diggle has a right to be heard!" _Dumbledore called from the front of the hall, Diggle nodded,

"_I propose we send ministry teams to investigate all possible leads of _his _return, as well as send envoys to the giants, werewolves and vampires. Most importantly, I propose an immediate and substantial increase in the funding for the Auror Corps, so we might better fight this Dark Lord!" _

The hall became overwhelmed by the shouts and cries of the members, Diggle stood proudly, nodding his head to the chief Warlock before sitting, Harry watched in interest as much of Dumbledores own party appeared unhappy with the proposals.

A furious looking Fudge stood from his seat, "_Thank you Mr Diggle, for your Proposal, The Wizengamot recognises Lucius Malfoy." _Lucius stood, looking as suave as ever, and bowed respectfully.

"_Minister, Chief Warlock, Mr Diggle, The only evidence that supports these ridiculous claims are the accounts of a traumatised fourteen year old boy, I ask Mr Diggle if he believes the spending of millions of galleons is required every time a teenager makes up a story?" _

There were laughs around the hall and Diggle blushed red,

"_Furthermore" _continued Malfoy, "_Mr Diggles suggestion of an increase to Auror funding is not only unnecessary, but it is also ill considered and offered without thought. This country does not have the financial stability to divert large sums towards the Aurors, I ask Mr Diggle to tell us which departments should lose funding to pursue his wild goose chase?" _

There were cheers of support, not just from Malfoy's Traditionalists, but also from the BPP and several of the fringe members clearly agreed, Dumbledore stood up, and eventually silence was restored,

"_Whilst Mr Malfoy speaks well, and raises excellent points, the fact stands that Mr Longbottom has seen Lord Voldemort, has fought Lord Voldemort and witnessed a powerful ritual which he underwent, we have pensieve memories in addition to the boy's testimony, the evidence is too strong to merely overlook." _The aged Headmasters voice was reasonable and many of his supporters clapped in the conclusion of his speech.

The argument carried on for much of the rest of the meeting, and it quickly became apparent that Dumbledore was losing, Lucius provided many eloquent arguments stressing the state of the economy and declaring that any hasty action would bankrupt the nation, Fudge discredited much of Neville's evidence, and after two more hours of debate, it became apparent that the _Progressives _were fracturing over the point, splitting approximately down the middle over who supported who.

When Harry eventually returned home at seven o'clock that evening, he was exhausted, whilst much of it was dull work, Harry couldn't deny that he had been fascinated by many of the arguments he had witnessed, and found himself eager to take part in such debates himself.

All in due time, he cautioned himself, it would not do to act before he knew exactly how the game was played.

* * *

**A.N **

**Now then, to those of you who raised the very valid point that Harry is unlikely to join with Voldemort because he would have no reason to support the genocide of Muggles, this is my response:**

**Voldemort initially used Muggles as an object of persecution around which he could unite people by giving them a common enemy, I am declaring he had no genuine hatred for them instead their persecution was merely a means to an end, it was due to the corruption of Dark Magic, that eventually Voldemorts feeling morphed into genuine Hate.**

**For those of you who have studied it, Voldemort initially used Muggles, Like Otto von Bismark used Catholics in the Kulturkampf... does that make sense?**

**please review!**


	23. Chapter 21

**Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, I am tonights entertainment...**

**Here is the latest chapter, give me your thoughts, it's simply the groundwork for what will become the real issues later on.**

**The question to ponder as you read is this, I am planning on doing another chapter to finish off Neville's fifth year at Hogwarts in chapter 22, then I would throw in a cheeky time skip to around 4 years in the future, when Harry has gathered a very strong postion, and the story gets interesting in terms of battles, successes etc.**

**The question is, do you want to follow the story of Harry's steady rise, or would you prefer a time skip?**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 21

July melded into august seamlessly, and after almost a month of studying the power plays and format of Wizengamot meets, Harry finally felt ready to take part instead of merely observing.

"I don't think the ending is suitable." Miranda informed him, he had been reciting the speech he would be expected to give as a first time member, and whilst he thought she had been far more interested in the copy of Witch Weekly, apparently she had been able to leave one ear open.

"What's wrong with the ending?" Harry asked as he scanned the parchment in front of him for the fault the blonde had found,

"Well, your tone seems to change, it starts off fairly neutral, then suddenly gets accusatory towards the end, you can't seriously plan to attack important ministry officials on your first day can you?" she asked, her eyes still glued on the magazine on her lap,

"Fine, your right, I suppose alienating myself on day one would probably go down poorly…"

"Of course I'm right, why don't you leave it open ended?" Harry frowned at the thought, by keeping the tone open, he could start a debate over his words, which would likely create more interest in what he had said.

"That is a fine idea, thank you." The girl simply smiled up at him sweetly before returning to the far more interesting article on… Harry craned his neck to read over her shoulder and rolled his eyes, the far more interesting article on Celestina Warbeck's inspiration for her third album.

The two sat together in silence, the only sound being the scratching of Harry's quill as he altered the closing of his speech to make it less aggressive and more likely to interest other members of the government.

"Done." He announced as the clock struck two, Miranda looked up and held her hand out, one eyebrow slightly raised, Harry smirked and handed across the sheet, watching her intently as her eyes scanned the page.

"It's good, not ground-breaking, but it shouldn't upset too many people, you don't propose anything too radical at least." Harry bowed his head,

"The lady flatters me." He said in a sickly sweet tone, a slap on the arm was all he got for his troubles,

"What did you expect, for me to burst into tears? It's a speech on Ministry finance, not a ballad on lost love and heartbreak." Harry conceded this with a grin, whilst he hoped he had avoided making it too stuffy, the girl did have a point.

The afternoon was gorgeous, Harry had opened the wide windows and a gentle breeze was running through his freshly cut hair, the noises of people shopping in the alley across from the apartment were muffled, Harry took a sip from his glass of water as he reread the speech, in his mind imagining delivering it to the hundreds of witches and wizards.

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Harry was sat in the back row of the Wizengamot hall, as he hadn't officially chosen a party yet, he wore robes of no affiliation as he waited for Fudge to announce his presence, it had been a dull day so far, no discussions of particularly interesting topics, only the debate over the standardisation of cauldron thickness, which had apparently been the cause of some contention for over a year.

"_Members of the Wizengamot." _Fudge called as the list for the day was finally finished, Harry looked up, this could be it, "_We have a new member joining our ranks today, following the reinstatement of his family seat, please join me in welcoming Mr Harry Potter to the Wizengamot." _ There was a small round of applause for him, as Harry stood and bowed to Fudge and Dumbledore.

Taking a deep breath, the youngest member of the Wizengamot mentally sent a prayer up to whoever was watching over him and began to speak.

"_Minister, Chief Warlock, and honourable members of this assembly, I would like to thank Minister Fudge for his words of Welcome, as well as all of you for the kindness which has been shown to me since I arrived here. On this, the first of what I hope is many addresses to you all, I wish to address what seems to be an alarming trend which exists within our Ministry." _He paused and looked around, everyone who he could see appeared to be listening with mild interest, which he thought, could only be a good thing.

_"In the past month, since the Wizengamot began for this year, I have heard many reports and accounts of the poor state of the Ministries financial situation, yet none have provided sensible suggestions on the correct action to take on the matter, I may be inexperienced in these hallowed Halls, yet I feel maybe I can provide a solution." _He looked around, and noted that he had gained the attention of much of the hall, he focused on remembering the next words of his address before continuing.

"_There are many departments of the Ministry which are, quite frankly, far overstaffed, the most glaring example I can think of would be the Centaur Liaison office. Whilst off course, all Intelligent Magical Creatures deserve representation within our government, I ask whether or not it is strictly necessary to employ twenty two full time wizards and witches, especially since in the office's entire 138 year history, not one Centaur has passed through its offices, or even filed a report." _There were mutters around the hall, and a few small laughs,

_"The list of apparently overstaffed departments is significant, and whilst many do indeed do sterling work, I ask whether it is necessary to divert hundreds of thousands of galleons towards offices which could survive with a fraction of the budget. Whilst perhaps Mr Diggle would prefer us to use the saved Galleons on funding his wild chimera chase," _there were several laughs from around the entire hall, even Fudge cracked a wide smile,

"_I would instead propose that by saving this money, we could lower the tax rates this government imposes on its people, encouraging growth in the commercial market, and easing the burden so many less well-off families struggle with in our current system. I again stress that I am no expert in these matters, however, I believe the time has come for action in helping our nation, rather than simply pointless rhetoric." _When he finished, he felt the tense knot in his stomach begin to uncoil.

Around the hall applause began to sound out, he looked at Lucius and saw the blonde man nodding in approval, Fudge was beaming at him with a look of familial pride, even Dumbledore appeared surprised at the nature of his address. After a few minutes the hall began to slowly quieten down, and Fudge once again rose to his feet.

"Thank you Mr Potter, I ask you now to join those in this hall with which you would like to be associated." Harry bowed to him once more, before joining Lucius and the other Traditionalists on the left hand side of the hall.

He saw what appeared to be surprise flit over the Ministers face and smirked, did the man expect Harry to join his party of sycophants? He shook his head as he greeted the wizard who he had sat down next to, a man he vaguely remembered, Cyrus Greengrass, father of Daphne in Slytherin.

Fudge quickly regained his composure and looked around the hall, "Does anyone have any responses to Mr Potters suggestions?" he asked loudly, there was silence, before the scraping of chair legs could be heard as a few men stood up,

"The Wizengamot recognises Mr Lucius Malfoy." Called Fudge,

"_Thank you Minister. I address this hall in support of Mr Potters claims, the man may be young, but he has provided an intelligent suggestion of what should be done. Perhaps some fresh blood has done this body well, a new insight, new perspective on affairs, the youth are often described as people of action, and Mr Potter lends credence to these claims." _He bowed, before sitting down to the applause of his supporters.

"Does anyone here have issue with Mr Potters suggestion?" asked Fudge, there was an extended moment of silence, however, just before Fudge opened his mouth to speak again, Dumbledore rose.

"_Whilst I do of course support the easing of others burdens, I must ask whether the method proposed by Mr Potter is correct. Whilst many offices indeed could be downsized, what would happen to those who lose their jobs? What would happen if we downsized a department mere days before its services became sorely needed? Whilst the economy requires urgent attention, I beg the hall not to be hasty, but instead to think through each and every potential implication of our decisions. Thank you." _

There was scattered applause, and whilst Harry knew he was taking a risk, he stood up, and presented himself to Fudge, the minister sent him a smile before indicating his permission to speak.

_"Chief Warlock Dumbledore is of course correct, every decision we make has potential consequences, however I ask this, whilst he would have us debate and ponder every potential outcome of every decision, the people outside of these halls are suffering, and every day we delay their assistance is an insult to the hardships they suffer." _There was a loud round of applause as Harry sat down, from well over three quarters of the hall, and the boy allowed a small smile to cross his face.

The debate continued on for another half an hour, however it appeared that Dumbledore's pleas of patience were falling on deaf ears, and when Fudge finally proposed the drafting of a bill for limited downsizing of the Ministry, it was supported by a large majority, Harry smiled, whilst he had hoped to make his name known to the members of the Wizengamot with his speech, having it progress to a bill was certainly unexpected, though without doubt a great achievement.

It was just passed six o'clock when the meet finally came to an end, Harry smiled and shook hands with all of the witches and wizards who wanted a word, both from his party and from others, he even said a few words to the waiting journalists, keeping his statements short and concise, making sure what he said could not be spun into false ideas.

Following the excessive meet and greet, it was nearly seven by the time he finally returned home. He was tired and hungry, and when he entered through the floo, it was to the smell of delicious cooking.

"How was it?" Miranda asked from her seat on the sofa, Harry grinned tiredly and sat beside her.

"Exhausting, but good I think, the speech seemed to go over well."

"Well done, Minnie's making chicken for supper, I hope that's alright?" Harry smiled and nodded,

"Sounds excellent, I'm starving!" as he spoke his tummy rumbled loudly, Miranda giggled and set aside the forms she had been reviewing.

"I had thought you might be having supper with one of your new party members." Harry groaned theatrically,

"It was certainly offered, but frankly I thought I might just pass out at the table! I am having lunch at Malfoy manor with a few members tomorrow, you are invited if you like." The blonde frowned for a brief moment,

"That should be possible, it is looking to be a very quiet day at the office tomorrow, I suppose I could take the afternoon off." Harry smiled and gave her a small smile,

"Thank you, the idea of socialising with all those politicians without some moral support sounds terrifying."

"You'd best get used to it!" Miranda laughed, and Harry held the back of his hand to his forehead in a fake swoon.

"Don't remind me!" he smiled, "How was work today?" the blonde sighed and moved a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Nothing special, though how I am supposed to balance the Aurors costs when Fudge keeps to trying to cut their budget and they keep on overspending is a mystery!" She leant into his side before picking up her stack of forms.

Harry looked over her shoulder at the charts of numbers, but quickly gave up, the files of numbers might as well have been gobbledegook for all the sense they made. The pair sat in silence for a while, Harry absently playing with a lock of the blonde's hair, whilst she frowned and cursed at her papers.

Before too long, Minnie announced Supper to be ready and invited the two of them to the Dining Table, Harry stood and helped Miranda up, the meal looked delicious, and Harry's hungry stomach rumbled again as he looked at the spread.

They ate in silence, and when Harry had finally polished off his second helping Miranda looked at him with a smirk,

"You look dead on your feet Potter, if you are supposed to be having a formal lunch tomorrow, I recommend getting some sleep."

Harry rolled his eyes, but agreed, he did feel pretty drowsy. With slow steps he dragged his weary body towards the bed and changed into his pyjamas, before sliding into the soft cotton sheets, he was asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

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Harry slept in late the next day, briefly waking up when Miranda left to work, but closing his eyes and falling asleep soon afterwards, indeed, he slept so late, that at around midday he was awoken by his treacherous girlfriend pouring a glass of water over his head.

He spluttered, hurling himself with impressive speed out of the icy wet sheets, turning, he gave Miranda a look of betrayal, which she ignored, before hurrying through a shower and dressing in what he hoped would be adequately formal robes.

With a roar of the elaborate fireplace, Harry and Miranda stepped into the Malfoys greeting room, where they were at once greeted by Narcissa and Draco. Harry smiled and kissed the elder witches cheek before offering his hand to Draco, the fifth year student seemed surprised to see him, but evidently his lessons in etiquette had been drilled into him for far too long, as he said nothing, only nodding his head politely.

"Harry, Miss Rookwood, welcome, welcome!" greeted Lucius Malfoy as they stepped through into a lavish drawing room, Harry bowed his head slightly,

"Lucius, thank you for your invitation." He offered politely,

"Of course, think nothing of it." The man replied with an elegant wave of his hand. Harry bowed his head again.

"Miss Rookwood, I don't believe you know everyone here." the elder Malfoy stated crisply, "Allow me to make some introductions."

"Thank you. That would be nice."

"Miranda Rookwood, might I introduce Mr William Nott, Mr Alex Montague, Mr Valentine Gibbon and Mr Thorfinn Rowle." Miranda politely greeted the four elegantly clad men with all the charm in the world, whilst Harry merely shook the men's hands, having already met the members of Lucius' political inner circle the evening before.

As Lunch got underway, Harry surprised himself by actually enjoying the meal. The food was as delicious as could be expected from such a family as the Malfoys, whilst the conversation was also thoroughly entertaining, evidently with the Wives and girlfriends in attendance, this meal was merely to solidify friendships rather than discuss politics.

Harry found himself sat between Amanda Rowle and Bethany Montague, it was clear the two women were close friends, and Harry enjoyed the casual exchange of conversation. As the pudding was eventually cleared off the plates, Lucius stood up from the head of the table,

"I hope you will excuse me my friends, however I wish to make a quick toast to Harry Potter, the latest addition to the Traditionalist family!" The others assembled at the table laughed, but raised their goblets and spoke the words, Harry nodded his head in gratitude.

Very briefly, Harry made eye contact with Lucius, and with a startling clarity, Harry realised exactly what the Veteran Statesman was doing. Harry was being introduced to the table not as a new member of the party, but as someone who held influence, the elder Malfoy was clearly sending a message to his closest advisors that Harry could be trusted, and he was incredibly grateful.

After the meal was over, Lucius made a quick announcement, "Ladies, if you would forgive me for speaking Politics I would be incredibly grateful!" there was some laughter and Harry smiled, "Gentlemen, the time has come for our party to become rather more proactive. We've done little to advance our cause in these last few years, but now that must change, I hope you are all prepared to act in this coming year!"

Of the assembled men sitting at the table, it was clear that only Alex Montague was unaware of the Dark Lord's return, he was looking between Harry and Lucius, clearly thinking that Harry was the cause of this new direction for the party.

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**_A BREATH OF FRESH AIR?  
_**_By Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent  
1__st__ August_

_Yesterday marked the beginning of young Harry Potter's political career in the Wizengamot. My readers will recall that following Mr Potter's victory in the Triwizard tournament, Minister Fudge returned to him his seat in recognition of all that he has achieved during his seven years of magical education._

_Whilst many budding politicians opt for a neutral entry speech, Mr Potter decided to address the matter of Ministry spending head on, to widespread support from the other members. Mr Lucius Malfoy, head of the Traditionalist party, which Mr Potter has now joined spoke to me briefly following yesterday's meet, "_I am very pleased to have Harry join us and look forward to a strong partnership and friendship in the future."

_Whilst the bill proposed by Mr Potter is very minor, the man in question has hopes that it may pave the groundwork for more substantial reform. _Cont. on page 3, col 2.

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**_Traditionalist's support BPP in Education Reform.  
_**_By Emma Riley, Educational correspondent  
4__th__ August_

_When Minister Fudge announced two days ago that he has plans for increasing the Ministries involvement in the Hogwarts educational system, it was met with a deal of scepticism, both within the Wizengamot and from the Public at large. Many of the readers of this paper believe that Hogwarts should be self-governing, however, this morning, Lucius Malfoy announced his parties support for the proposal._

_"_For an institution as important as Hogwarts to have near total autonomy is absurd, the public and the government have a right to know what happens within its ancient halls, and to ensure that the quality of education remains as high as it has for these past years."

_Whilst this reporter is concerned about the government taking over the education system, Educational Decree number 22 does make sense, allowing the ministry to appoint teachers when the headmaster fails may help to prevent ill prepared teachers taking the post._

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**_MINISTRY REFORM BILL PASSES  
_**_By Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent.  
10__th__ August_

_Following Harry Potters suggestions of a reduction in the ministries size, the young traditionalist politician has been working hard with the ministry legislators to create a bill to achieve his aims. The Ministry reform act is small, resulting in the downsizing of eleven ministry offices, and the termination of only fifty ministry jobs, however Mr Potter is enthusiastic for the future._

"I am ecstatic to have had this bill passed, the Ministry have tried to maintain its unnecessarily large size and influence even as the economy dwindled, I strong belief a strong, efficient ministry is best for all the people."

_Cont. page 11, col 1_ HPHPHPHPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHHPPHHPPHPHPHHPPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

**_MIRANDA ROOKWOOD WOWS AT MINISTRY GALA  
_**_By Susanne McNab  
August 27__th_

_With her boyfriend being Harry Potter, 18, a rising star within the Wizengamot, there exists a lot of pressure on Miranda Rookwood, 21, to support him whilst at the same time maintaining her difficult position within the Ministry, however, impress she did, wearing a stunning Marine Gladrags gown, the gorgeous blonde was looking radiant at last night's Ministry funded St. Mungo's fundraising Gala._

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**_THE NEW MAN OF THE PEOPLE?  
_**_Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent.  
September 18__th_

_Following his offering of full support towards Minister Fudge's declaration to bring oversight over Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry Potter has gone from strength to strength, whilst many of his suggestions in the Wizengamot have been shot down, Mr Potter has continued to make no secret of his desire to help the people of the magical Britain._

"If I make enemies_" Mr Potter said to me yesterday_, "then that proves I am stepping on toes, getting noticed and hopefully making an impression, I knew there would be controversy, this country has allowed itself to settle into this cycle of acceptance, I ask for the people to question their ministry, to expect results, for only then do we have democracy!" _strong words indeed._

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**_Potter accused of Hypocrisy!  
_**_Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent  
October 27__th_

_Yesterday evening, Mr Pius Thicknesse, one of the progressive's most influential figures, and deputy head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement, accused Mr Harry Potter (trad.) of hypocrisy, "_Harry Potter, for months now, has been swanning around, declaring himself to be a man of the people and suggesting he is following the will of the public, yet was he elected? Have the public been asked for their opinion? Until Mr Potter allows the public to choose him for their representative, he will have to forgive me if I do not consider him a true 'people's politician.'"

_As of this moment, Mr Potter has declined to comment on the issue, nevertheless a source close to him has stated that Mr Potter is deeply offended by these accusations. With Ministry elections only three months away, Mr Lucius Malfoy will soon discover if the new proactive direction Mr Potter has led his party in has been successful._

_Cont. page 3_

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Harry sat behind his desk late on the night of Friday, November 3rd and blinked tiredly. He had been in the Ministry all day, and had spent most of it reading through mind meltingly dull Ministry appraisal forms.

Whilst spearheading the effort for a smaller ministry was a very effective way to expand his public image, Harry couldn't help but think that there had to be better ways of going about it. Every time he recommended scaling down a Department, he was forced to listen to the declarations of the members of said department, all of whom strongly believed that the work they did was integral to ministry functioning.

It was exhausting, whilst Harry still very much disliked the Headmaster, he was very impressed that the man had managed to keep on top of his work as Headmaster, Chief Warlock and as supreme Mugwump of the ICW.

With a sigh, Harry put the parchment into one of the drawers of his desk, stretching widely in his chair and stood up, he briefly caught hold of the wood as he felt lightheaded after sitting down for so long before he walked to the door of his office.

Walking through the empty halls of the Ministry, Harry made his way towards the ranks of fireplaces in order to make his way home.

"Good night Mr Potter." Offered the night guard,

"Good night William." Harry returned with a nod, with a cry of his home, Harry found himself spun away through the floo, stepping out moments later into the small living room he shared with Miranda.

The lights were all dimmed and Harry guiltily looked at the clock, it was 12.35, and Harry presumed Miranda would already be asleep, stepping as lightly as possible, Harry made his way into the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards, rifling through the contents whilst he searched for something to eat, his hand grasped a pumpkin pasty, and quickly he ripped off the cover, munching slowly on the fleshy meat within.

After washing up after himself, he tiptoed through the hall to his bedroom, whereupon he quickly changed, and slid in between the sheets, wincing with every creak the bed made. Eventually he fell into a comfortable position and closed his eyes, falling asleep quickly in his tired state.

The next morning, he awoke early, the sun was shining through the wide windows, and the muffled sounds of early shoppers could be heard. Beside him, he felt Miranda stir, and turned to greet her.

"What time did you get in last night?" the newly awakened girl asked,

"Late, I didn't wake you did I?" Harry replied, she shook her head no,

"Fortunately not, if you ruined my sleep, you would have been made aware."

Harry grinned, rolling his eyes, Miranda yawned broadly, watching him as he rolled out of bed,

"Why are you getting up?" she asked, blinking at him blearily,

"I need to send some letters." Harry replied vaguely, Miranda sneered at him,

"It's Saturday Potter, even the great _People's Politician_ has weekends off." Harry chuckled at the nickname,

"This is true, I suppose I could postpone writing those letters for a little while." He turned on his heel and returned to his girlfriend, the sun was somewhat higher in the sky when he did eventually dress.

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_My Dear Harry_

_That is a very generous offer, thank you ever so much. I will have to meet you to discuss it all in more detail, but I love the sound of getting a job with you. You described it as mostly administrative work, as well as organising your schedule and the like, which is all fine, would it be possible to meet with you this week, whenever you are available is fine, the joy of being unemployed is that I have a lot of time on my hands._

_Much Love _

_Olivia_

Harry's eyes skimmed over the short note and he smiled, he had been in rather desperate need of an assistant, his paperwork was mounting up, and he had been dangerously close to missing some rather important meetings, he knew the very organised Irish girl would be perfect for what he had in mind.

Harry briefly checked his watch, it was 2.45, he still had fifteen minutes until he was expecting company, and with a sigh, he reached to the wireless on the table next to him and turned on the wireless, briefly fiddling with the nobs, he quickly tuned to the Wizarding Wireless Network and heard the familiar smooth tunes of _Wandlight _wash over him.

At 3.00 exactly, Harry heard a sharp rap on his door. He stood and quickly opened it up, smiling broadly as the figures of Evan Rosier and Marcus Flint stepped inside.

"Marcus!" Harry greeted warmly, embracing the large boy tightly,

"Good to see you again Harry, I must say, you have been busy!" Harry grinned and smirked,

"I have, but it's certainly better than growing bored!"

"I can vouch that boredom is certainly not all it's cracked up to be." Marcus admitted with a frustrated shrug.

"Well, things change, it's good to see you too Evan, It's been too long." Harry said with a small smile.

"Good afternoon Harry, how are you?"

"I'm good, now then, could I get either of you a drink? Water, wine?" Marcus asked for a glass of water, whilst Harry and Evan both requested wine.

"What's this about Harry?" Marcus asked with an interested expression on his face, Harry chuckled,

"Straight to business then? Very well." He paused and looked at the two men. "As you may know, Pius Thicknesses recently called me out on being a hypocrite." Harry began,

"But none of the public believes it, they love you right now!" interjected Marcus with a confused frown,

"Exactly, they love me right now, but if the Progressives get too much time to work on this, it could fester and become a major problem." Evan nodded in understanding, but Marcus seemed a little confused.

"Marcus, the Traditionalist party, as I am sure you know, has a rather unsavoury reputation, in order to truly overcome the issues facing the party, we must from now on present a spotless image, I cannot allow for this to become a problem." Marcus finally appeared to realise what was going on.

"I suppose that makes sense." He conceded, "but what does any of this have to do with me and Mr Rosier?"

"Well, the best way to rebut Mr Thicknesse is by getting myself democratically elected." Harry replied with a grin,

"You plan to put yourself forward as a candidate?" Evan asked with an impressed smirk, Harry nodded,

"I do, and I would like you two to help make it happen."

"I'll help, what did you have in mind?" Evan asked with interest.

"I want you to start a group of Traditionalist supporters, advertise in the papers, start committees, forums, meetings for supporters, that sort of thing, just make sure that the entire public knows what we stand for, knows about our new direction, that sort of thing."

The two men were looking at him in interest, Marcus looked excited, Evan intrigued.

"It's a fantastic idea, however, I do of course have some questions." Harry nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Well, first off, is something like this even legal? I was under the impression Fudge banned all political organisations during the last war to legalise the on the spot arrest of Death Eaters."

Harry nodded and smirked broadly,

"That is correct, however, as this new group would be an offshoot of an already existing political party it would technically be exempt and therefore legal, so long as you openly declare yourselves Traditionalists."

"Alright, well, in order for any sort of campaigning to be successful, it would need to be a national affair, and that would get expensive, there would be costs for advertising, events, wages…" he trailed off and Harry nodded,

"I agree, I was thinking that you could charge a small fee and become an official member of the party, of course, I will fund it, and Lucius also recognises it's potential and has promised gold."

There was silence as the two men looked interestedly at their glasses, Evan's remaining practically untouched. Eventually, after several minutes of silence, Marcus spoke,

I'm in, it's a magnificent idea, there's body in the Wizarding world like it, however I can, I will help with this." Harry smiled and patted his friend on the arm in gratitude.

"Thank you Marcus, it means a lot." The two of them looked expectantly at Evan, who still had his eyes focused on his glass.

"May I speak to you privately for a moment Harry?" he eventually asked, Harry looked at Marcus, who nodded. Harry stood and gestured towards the hall.

When the two of them had set up the usual privacy wards, Harry turned to the death eater expectantly.

"Have you considered what the master will think of this?" he asked quickly, Harry frowned.

"I am not asking you to set up an army under my command, I am asking for a glorified advertising agency." Evan chuckled and Harry placed his hand on the older man's arm. "Don't worry. I will deal with the Dark Lord should he have issue."

"I am not concerned for myself, I know Marcus' father. Adrien Flint is a power-hungry bastard, If Marcus is anything like that…" Harry laughed,

"Marcus has always been like that, the boy takes a mile when you give him an inch, which is exactly why I chose him for this." Evan looked at him in confusion,

"If he is so ambitious as you believe, how can you be sure he won't betray you?" Harry looked at Evan very seriously,

"Marcus and I have been friends for near enough eight years." He began, "I trust him implicitly, he will endeavour to succeed in this, and should he step out of line, I expect you to curb him."

The two stood in silence for a moment before Rosier nodded, "very well. I'll help you."

Harry grinned, "Excellent. Shall we return?"

Marcus looked at them interestedly as they returned through to the sitting room. Harry smiled,

"Evan has decided to join our little venture, I suggest you two go away and plot, plan and do whatever you think necessary, shall we meet in say… a week, whereupon you can tell me what you think you will need, in terms of staff, finances etc?" the two men nodded, and Harry stood to show them out. As he reached the door, he shook both their hands and smiled, pleased that the next step of his plans were working.

Three days later, just as Harry was leaving the Wizengamot, following the conclusion of the days discussion, Harry was accosted.

"Mr Potter?" called a familiar voice, Harry looked up, and gave a polite smile as he saw Thomas Audley, the prophet reporter standing before him.

"Good evening Mr Audley." He greeted,

"Mr Potter, have you got time for a few words?" Harry heaved a sigh internally, though he kept his smile on.

"Of course, shall we go up to my office?" Thomas looked surprised at the offer and nodded with a smile. The two walked together, enjoying polite small talk about nothing in particular, when they reached the first level, Harry held the door to his comfortable office open, ushering the man inside.

The two got comfortable quickly, the journalist setting up a dicta quill on a long roll of parchment, whilst Harry relaxed into the dark red leather chair behind the wooden desk.

"Mr Potter." Audley began, "rather a frustrating day for you I would imagine?"

"Indeed, I had hoped for rather more support from the BPP, however, I am not too unhappy."

"Your latest piece of proposed legislation was the relaxation of certain Dark Creature Laws, a very controversial topic indeed!" the journalist said with a laugh, Harry shrugged,

"I didn't ask for any relaxation, I merely asked for review of the current system, would it not be wise to grade Dark Creatures, based on their danger to society, and their vindictive nature, rather than declare them all to be equally dangerous?"

"I don't understand." Audley admitted,

"I merely feel that a 30 days of the month, A vampire should be considered a greater threat than a werewolf, and a Veela should not be considered as dangerous as either creature, by adding a grading system, we could prevent hundreds of men and women, affected by these conditions from starving in unemployment."

"It does seem a noble goal." The reporter admitted, Harry shrugged.

"I can understand why it was unsuccessful." The two laughed briefly.

"Harry, many of your critics declare you an idealist, or say you are simply too naïve to properly care for this nation, what do you say to those people?"

"An idealist?" Harry laughed, "I would have to agree with that, is not an idealist not someone who strives for the very best things, rather than settling for compromise after compromise? I would say to those critics that this country has seen far too much compromise in the last decade, maybe the day of the realist has passed and now it is the Idealist's age!" Harry frowned slightly as he finished,

"Although," he continued, almost on an afterthought, "will say that compromise is necessary, I will not stand in the way of progress, simply because it is not as encompassing as I had hoped for."

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**_First Day of Voting Begins  
_**_William Holt, People's correspondent.  
23__rd__ January._

_Today marked the beginning of the latest series of Wizengamot voting. The outcome of these votes has been speculated upon widely, and all experts agree that we should expect to see big changes in the Wizengamot come February. _

_The Dark Horse of this year's election is Harry Potter, who announced his intentions to stand for public voting in October, should Mr Potter receive a popular vote, it would lend credence to his very active presence in the Halls last year, Our Political editor, Walther Wildes, said "For an ancient and Noble seat to run for a voted seat in nearly unheard of, Mr Potter is gambling a lot, should he perform anything less than spectacularly, it will damage, possibly irreparably, his entire standing in the Wizengamot."_

_Whilst the Traditionalists have been busy within the halls of the Wizengamot, their supporters have been equally proactive across the whole Nation. The newly formed _British Action League, _said to be the brainchild of Mr Harry Potter, has created storms across the country, with well-publicised Rallies and meetings, it has been difficult to remain ignorant about the Traditionalist's new stance in todays election._

**For a breakdown on the major parties stances: page 3, col 1  
For the most likely candidates to succeed: Page 11, col 3  
For the Actions of the British Action League: Page 3, col 4**

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**I hope you enjoyed that, It was a challenge to write, but I really liked the chance to do something different!**

**Please Review!**


	24. Chapter 22

**Okay, Wow, that was some really positive feedback about the last chapter, which is great, the vast majority of you seem to like the direction I am taking the story in. The main complaints are that there is little magical fighting and physical conflict, to those people, I say wait, this story has a lot of violence planned, give it... perhaps four more chapters!**

**This chapter was something of an experiment in that a lot of it is not written from Harry's point of view, we get to see it from Harry, Neville and Dumbledore, which was very difficult to write, so I would like to hear if you want such a style to continue.**

**For those of you missing the Harry/Miranda action, don't worry, next chapter... hints in this one...**

**Here we go... Enjoy!**

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Chapter 22

Harry had to admit it to himself, he was nervous. He was sat with his eyes closed, hands clasped loosely in his lap, listening to the hustle and bustle around him.

Malfoy Manor had been converted into the headquarters of the Traditionalists for the announcement of the voting results, Politicians, secretaries and aides scurried around like rats as they made sure everyone had all they needed.

Harry's own rather small staff was sat around him, a small island of relative calm in a sea of frenzy.

To his left sat Olivia. The Irish girl had taken to her new role as Harry's personal aide like a fish to water. Whilst he found his schedule was now far fuller than when he had organised it, the Irish girl left him just enough room to breathe so that he had no reason to complain, and for that he was grateful.

To his right sat Marcus, who technically was not affiliated with Harry professionally, but was well known to follow nearly all of Harry's suggestions when it came to the British Action League.

"_QUIET!" _someone shouted over the din, and the whole room froze, everyone turning to the front of the room. It was Cyrus Greengrass who had spoken, the middle aged statesman had been sat close to the large wireless listening intently, when the room quietened down fully he reached down and twirled the dial, magnifying the volume.

"_Well, the votes have been counted, and It's clear that there has been a lot of interest in these elections, initial estimates are saying that almost seventy percent of those eligible voted, which is the highest number since 1882."_

The two hundred or so witches and wizards in the room had all sat down in silence, many of them watching the big speakers in avid concentration.

"_Well it's understandable that they would generate such excitement. The whole country is split over what will happen, but all experts agree that we may be in for big changes. The Daily Prophet seems to be behind the BPP, whilst many others are suggesting a new Traditionalist government."_

There were cheers from some of the assembled wizards and witches, followed by a few laughs.

"_Anyway, without further ado, in ascending order, I present the 150 most popular Wizengamot members." _

The air in the room seemed to hum in anticipation, Harry felt himself almost unconsciously lean forward.

"_in 150__st__ place, Nigel Watts, a newcomer, 149__th__ is Edwin Truffle, BPP, 148__th__ is Lucille Coombs…" _

Keeping one ear open, Harry watched the large enchanted board that had been erected at the front of the room, every time a name was mentioned, Harry watched as the graph indicated would grow to show which party had gained a member.

The Traditionalists, already having over 43 ancient and noble houses to their name held a significant advantage in the early stages, however it was clear the other parties were slowly gaining on them.

Every time a Traditionalist was called, a small cheer would rise throughout the hall, and Harry felt the butterflies in his stomach increase with every second.

The worst case scenario here would be for him to not be unelected, it would ruin him, probably absolutely, at the very least it would take decades to recover his position, if he was elected, however in a low position, it would undermine him, however Harry was confident that he could overcome such a position with time.

"_77__th__ is Michael Shift, of the Traditionalists…" _A tall and wiry man near the front of the room clapped loudly, whilst his staff shook his hand.

"You did remember to campaign for all of the Party members didn't you Marcus?" Harry asked with a small grin, the large ex Slytherin scowled,

"Of course." His answer was spoken in clipped tones, and Harry turned to look at the large boy,

"You alright?"

"Fine." Harry shrugged, he could understand Marcus's concern, should the BAL prove to be ineffective at garnering votes, Marcus would no doubt have to be replaced, whilst the group had been successful at gaining media attention, and had held several popular rallies, they were also proving to be rather expensive, something several Traditionalist backers had been quite eager to point out.

"_34__th__, Dedalus Diggle, Progressives…"_ Harry rolled his eyes as Diggle was announced, the man was a pitiful sycophant of the first order, with few thoughts of his own, but always willing to spout out Dumbledore's Doctrine.

Harry suddenly realised his leg had started to jiggle where he sat, and it took a conscious effort for him to keep still. To distract himself, he looked over at Olivia beside him, she was steadily writing something down on a script of parchment, and when Harry studied it, he realised it was a press statement.

"_Whilst I am certainly disappointed that the public did not vote in my favour…" _was all he read, as he realised what she was writing, he felt an irrational giggle boiling inside of him, the Irish girl suddenly became aware of his gaze.

He caught her eye and gestured to the page, the girl shrugged. Harry felt his nerves returning again.

They were in the top ten of the lists now, and Harry began to feel a sort of excited dread. He still hadn't been called, which either meant he had done very well, or he had failed, he looked down briefly at his open robes and watched the steady flutter of his shirt from his erratic heartbeat.

"_In 4__th__ place, Amelia Bones, Progressives, In 3rd Place, Cornelius Fudge, BPP, Runner up is Harry Potter, Traditionalists, and Albus Dumbledore, Progressives, wins this year's election, his seventh victory in a row."_

Harry let out a very long sigh he had been holding and allowed a broad grin to stretch over his face. Standing up, he clasped Marcus in a tight hug and slapped him firmly on the back, before turning and hugging Olivia, who he was pleased to see tear up her speech.

Pausing in between the congratulations he had been receiving, Harry took a moment to look up at the large board at the front of the room.

**British Peoples Party: 65 Seats  
Progressive Party: 53 Seats  
Traditionalist Party: 57 Seats**

Harry looked around the room in interest, Lucius appeared pleased, and was smiling broadly, shaking hands, and laughing at a joke someone had told him.

Harry though was disappointed, whilst he himself had been very successful, the party itself had only improved a little, something that frustrated him, whilst he wasn't such a fool as to believe that he could achieve success in only a few months, it was incredibly frustrating to know that he wouldn't be able to truly progress for another two years.

"Harry?"

"Yes?" he turned and saw a smiling Olivia fighting her way over to his side through the crowd.

"You have a celebration rally in Bristol, it's a _BAL _event." Harry nodded and fought his way to Lucius' side. The blonde haired statesman was still basking in the success of his party, though he turned to Harry when he noticed the black haired teen.

"Congratulations Harry, to be more popular than the Minister of Magic is a great success indeed, you should be proud."

"I am Lucius, thank you." He shook the outstretched hand firmly,

"We were planning a late lunch to celebrate, could I offer you a seat at the table?" Harry shook his head slowly.

"Thank you, but I must decline, I am expected in Bristol."

"That is too bad. Congratulations again Mr Potter, you deserve it!"

Harry shook the man's hand once again, before turning and striding to the fireplace.

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**3 Months later**

**April 1****st**

Behind his great wooden desk, Albus Dumbledore was sat deep in thought, his hands were resting beneath his chin, and his brilliant blue eyes shone brightly in the dim light.

The object of his thoughts was smiling broadly and waving from the front page of _The Daily Prophet _in front of him. The blaring headline read out

**HARRY POTTER SECURES EASED WORK RESTRICTIONS FOR WEREWOLVES**

Whilst he was very concerned by the seemingly unstoppable rise of Harry, Dumbledore couldn't help but but admire him.

There was little to no doubt in the headmasters mind that Harry's act was nothing more than that, an act. Perhaps arrogantly, the man believed he knew Harry, he had watched him grow up and truly believed that the ideals the ex Slytherin was now championing were not his own.

Unfortunately, whilst Dumbledore was resolute in his concerns, very few others were. Even his own party had been charmed by the charismatic eighteen year old and Dumbledore himself had been backed into a corner, either support Harry's proposals, or risk appearing bigoted and outdated.

Albus sighed deeply, he pushed the offending newspaper away, and stroked his chin deep in thought. The Old man was certain that given time and his full concentration, he would be able to expose Harry for what he was, though what exactly that was, Dumbledore was uncertain.

Unfortunately, offering anything his full concentration was impossible at the present time, when he wasn't sitting on the ICW or keeping the various factions of his party satisfied, Dumbledore was still headmaster of Hogwarts.

'_For Now" _he thought ruefully, Albus knew that Fudge wanted him out of the school, and with the support of Potter and the Traditionalists, the Minister had been able to impose several new Educational Decree's which granted Cornelius far more power over the school than he would have liked.

Delores Umbridge was proving to be a true pain in his side. The woman was clearly waiting for him to slip up and make a mistake, and the grey haired man was convinced that Harry had suggested to Fudge that he act in this way.

_Knock knock._

Dumbledore looked up, mentally scolding himself for being so absorbed in his thoughts to miss the warning wards.

"Come in." he called, there was a brief pause before the heavy door swung inwards, revealing Professors McGonagall and Snape.

"Aha, come in Minerva, Severus, could I offer you a sherbet lemon?"

"No thank you Albus." The transfiguration Professors nostrils flared and Dumbledore grew concerned.

"Well do take a seat, what may I help you with?"

It was Snape who replied, his voice was as calm as ever and if Dumbledore had been anyone other than a Veteran Politician and master Occlumens, he may have fallen for the man's act.

"Umbridge knows." The greasy haired potions master scowled ever so slightly, "apparently Draco Malfoy got his hands on one of Miss Grangers false Galleons."

"indeed? That is indeed problematic."

"Problematic? Albus, this is what Fudge has been waiting for! Neville will be expelled for sure." McGonagall pinked slightly as she finished her outburst.

"No Minerva, Neville will not be expelled, I will not allow it." The bearded man's voice was so powerful, so authoritative, that it brooked no further argument.

"Perhaps not, Headmaster, however, consider name of this group, Fudge will pin this on you. Without doubt" Snape peered down his long nose and Dumbledore sighed.

"Dumbledore's Army." Dumbledore chuckled, "Whilst Fudge, I am sure would love to remove me from office, I rather suspect his political allies would prefer for me to remain right where I am."

McGonagall looked confused, whilst Snape nodded sagely.

"Albus? As headmaster you wield enormous influence, any of your political opponents would love to have you removed!"

"Perhaps you are right, maybe I am being optimistic. Thank you for telling me this Minerva." The two teachers nodded, both recognising the dismissal.

"Severus, a moment please." He called, the hook nosed man paused, turning back to his seat. The two waited for the Deputy Headmistress to leave before continuing.

"You suspect Potter will ensure you remain at Hogwarts?"

"I do." Dumbledore said tiredly, reaching into the bowl on his desk and taking a sherbet lemon, he gazed at Snape whilst he slowly unwrapped the yellow sweet.

"It makes sense I suppose, with you stuck here, it limits the time you can move against him." Dumbledore nodded, sucking on the sweet slowly.

"My thoughts exactly, and Potter now has considerable influence with Fudge. Our good Minister is riding the political wave that Harry has created, though I rather believe he may be reaching the end of his usefulness."

The two men sat in silence for a few moments, the only sound being the soft trills of the Phoenix on his perch.

"Potter concerns you greatly." Snape finally said, his beady black eyes staring at the Headmasters bright blue. Albus nodded, his face looking apprehensive.

"I must confess he does, you know him better than I did, does he not concern you?" the Potions master chuckled,

"Whilst I know you disagree, I can think of few men better capable of managing this country effectively." Dumbledore looked frustrated, but smiled wryly,

"I suppose he has proven he can get things done." They both looked down at the newspaper between them. "However I rather fear he is not acting for himself."

"You believe Potter to be a servant of the Dark Lord?" asked Snape in surprise,

"The thought has certainly crossed my mind. Has Voldemort tried to contact you yet?" Snape shook his head,

"Not since the night of his return, and none of those he has called will discuss anything with me, it is clear the man is keeping a low profile, to the best of my knowledge, only thirty of his death eaters are aware of his return."

"Precisely." Dumbledore said slowly, "Only thirty, Malfoy, Nott, McNair, Rowle, surely you see the connection?"

Snape looked confused, and Dumbledore smiled as though he were explaining a point to a particularly dense student,

"The vast majority of his new death eaters are either Politicians or work in the Ministry."

Snape paled as he realised what Dumbledore was getting at, Voldemort would never allow Potter to gain such influence in the party that contained many of his supporters unless Potter was closely affiliated to him.

"Well, we had best be prepared." The hook nosed man finally said after a very long pause.

"Indeed we had."

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**2 Days Later**

"That's brilliant everyone, great job!" Neville shouted from the front of the room, his eyes following the trails left by the dozens of floating patronuses that were circling the room, he chuckled as he watched an otter and a dog play fighting, whilst a bright silvery eagle soared by.

"Oh it's pretty" Neville turned and smiled as he saw a Hare burst from the tip of Luna's wand,

"Well done Luna, you've got it!" Luna smiled dreamily, but soon the expression faltered,

"Oh dear, It's running away, doesn't it like me?" Neville suppressed a laugh,

"No, ahem, it's checking for Dementors, it'll come back." The two of them watched the Patronus for a few minutes, it appeared to be chasing something, and Neville felt puzzled,

"I've never seen a Patronus chase nothing before…" he trailed off, as the Hare suddenly pounced,

"Don't worry, it's probably chasing the Nargles, Bad Hare, Bad!" Neville felt his mouth fall open slightly in surprise as the girl continued to scold the Patronus. Suddenly, he felt a tugging on the hem of his robes, he hastily closed his mouth and looked down.

"Dobby?" he asked in surprise

"Master Neville Longbottom sir, Dobby is sorry to be distracting you sir." Neville waved off the elf's apology,

"Get on with it, have you found something?" the elf nodded, wringing the hem of it's outfit nervously.

"The Umby has found out about the DA, Umby is coming here now!" Neville frowned,

"The Umby?" he asked puzzled, "What is the _Umby?" _Dobby frowned,

"Umby, the Miss in Pink, teacher of defences." Neville felt like an anvil had been dropped in his stomach.

"Umbridge?" he asked quietly, Dobby nodded quickly, "UMBRIDGE IS COMING!" he bellowed, the room fell silent at once staring at him in horror,

"are you sure?" asked Fred and George at the same time, Neville nodded and twins at once took over,

"Right, everyone scarper, don't go to common rooms, go to bathrooms, classrooms, the library, the grounds, anywhere, disperse and get the hell away from here!" they paused and no one moved,

"What are you waiting for?" shouted Neville, "Run!"

There was pandemonium, the magical door for the room expanded suddenly and with a great squeeze the room was emptied in seconds.

Neville was left alone for a second before he ran as fast as he could from the room, the hall was emptying rapidly, and Neville pondered briefly where to go. There was a secret passage on the floor below which would lead to the prefect's bathroom, he could hide there for an hour or two.

With a sudden burst of speed he turned right and pelted for the stairs. He was halfway down the second flight when he felt the effects of a tripping jinx, he collapsed and bounced down the last few steps, coming to rest in an undignified heap on the landing.

"Longbottom." Neville froze as he heard the characteristic drawl of his least favourite person in the world. "Incarcerous." the spell was said lazily, and within seconds Neville was trussed up like a turkey.

"I had so hoped I would be the one to catch you." Drawled Malfoy, as he strode into Neville's line of sight, a smug smirk on his lips and a manic gleam in his eyes.

"Fuck you Malfoy!" Neville spat furiously, Draco smiled wider,

"Tut tut, Longbottom, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" he paused and laughed, "oh that's right, of course you don't."

Neville glared, and Malfoy carried on grinning down at him, "Well no time for chit chat Neville, we have a date with the High Inquisitor."

Neville was carried through the halls by Malfoy, who made sure to bang him into every available corner he could, eventually they reached the Defence Classroom and Neville felt the seeds of panic bloom.

"Draco? Aha, excellent job Mr Malfoy, truly excellent, take twenty points to Slytherin, no, take thirty points!" Draco smiled appreciatively as he dropped the Boy-who-lived onto one of the desks.

Umbridge removed the ropes binding him with a vicious smile,

"Your days of terrorising the school are over Longbottom, over!" she giggled to herself, before hurrying over to the fireplace, Neville heard a shout of _Ministers office _before the toad-like woman's head vanished. After only a few minutes she removed her head and took a seat at the front of the classroom at her customary desk.

They waited in silence for a long time, Umbridge sitting at her desk, reminding Neville strongly of a frog sitting on a lily pad, staring at him like he were a juicy fly. Neville kept his eyes firmly on the clock above her head, watching the hands slowly tick by, 4.04… 4.05… 4.06, his eyes flicked back to Umbridge, the woman hadn't moved, her expression remained smug as she stared at him.

Behind him, he felt Theo Nott, who was stood to his right, shift slightly on his feet. He turned, Malfoy and Nott were stood behind each of his shoulders, standing like guards. Nott looked bored, whilst Malfoy had his chest puffed out, the _Inquisitorial Squad _shining brightly on his robes. 4.09…

With a burst of green light, Umbridge's fireplace suddenly came to life, quickly expelling Kingsley Shacklebolt, a tough, wiry looking man and the Minister for magic, the three men all stepped through and Umbridge rose to her feet quickly.

"Minister, excellent, shall we go to the headmaster?" her voice had turned into a simpering sycophantic tone,

"No Delores, we are still awaiting a few more people." He smiled when he saw Neville, "Mr Longbottom, I understand you are in rather a lot of trouble aren't you?" he chuckled,

"He should be expelled Minister, look at this." The pink clad woman thrust something into the Ministers hands, and Neville was horrified to see it was the participation list for the DA.

"Dumbledore's Army?" Fudge looked up at Neville sharply, "what was the purpose of your little army? Planning to take over the Ministry hmm? I can have you arrested for this!"

Neville said nothing, though he felt his stomach roiling, this was it, he thought, he would be arrested, probably without trial and thrown into Azkaban for the rest of his natural life. He felt like he might cry, but forced himself not to, he still had Dumbledore on his side.

The fireplace brightened once again, and Neville watched in surprise as Harry Potter stepped out of the flames with casual elegance, looking around in polite disinterest.

"Minister, what is this about? I was very busy." Neville watched as Fudge beamed at Harry,

"Harry, glad you could join us. We've just caught Mr Longbottom doing all sorts of criminal acts." Potter raised one eyebrow as he eyed Neville with cold eyes.

"Really?" Fudge nodded and handed him the note. Harry took it and his face took on a look of surprised pleasure as he read the first line.

"My my, Delores, this group would appear to have been operating for weeks, if not months, are you telling me you have only just discovered such an operation?" The young Politician spoke with such insolent amusement that Neville thought the High Inquisitor would have slapped him.

"No no Mr Potter, I have been aware of this group for almost a month, I just never had the proof to act until now." Harry nodded, his eyes still scanning the parchment.

"Madam Umbridge, I have helped give you the authority to stamp out any such dissent within Hogwarts, next time you discover such a situation, I expect you to notify the Ministry immediately."

"Of course Mr Potter." The woman simpered, Harry handed the paper back to Fudge and smiled warmly, the sudden change from the cold authoritarian to that of favoured nephew he had taken on was shocking to Neville, though Fudge seemed not to notice.

"I believe we have a date with Professor Dumbledore Minister."

The group made their quick progress up to Dumbledore's office and within a matter of minutes, they were outside the Gargoyle.

"Ice-Mice." The gargoyle sprang aside and Neville was pushed up the stairs.

"Cornelius? What a pleasant surprise, do come in. oh, and you've brought friends, excellent, the more the merrier." Dumbledore welcomed as they made their steady progress up the steps. Neville felt a small smile grow as he saw the happy expression on the man's face. How could he ever have been concerned when he had the greatest sorcerer in the world on his side?

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Harry was the last one to enter Dumbledore's study from the little group, Dumbledore saw him, and didn't appear surprised, Harry looked around and saw Snape and McGonagall already in the room, clearly this showdown was not unexpected.

"Dear me." Dumbledore called cheerfully, "It would appear our current seating arrangement is woefully inadequate." With a flick of the headmaster's wand, his desk grew and expanded into a far larger version of itself, whilst opulent conjured chairs appeared from thin air. Harry smirked at the not so subtle display of the man's power.

"Whatever is this about Cornelius? Your visits have become so very sporadic lately."

"Bad business Albus. Bad business. Delores, please show him the parchment." Umbridge handed Dumbledore the form and Harry carefully the man's expression as he read it.

"Most interesting." Dumbledore said mildly.

"Interesting indeed" agreed Snape as he read over Dumbledore's shoulder.

"hmph." Was all McGonagall added, Harry carefully maintained a neutral mask.

"So." Began Fudge, "Mr Longbottom has clearly been training students in offensive magic's and tactics, in clear violation of numerous Ministry laws, he must be detained, or at the very least, expelled." Next to the Minister, Umbridge nodded vigorously.

"Neville here is not at fault Minister." Dumbledore said, in a tone as light as though he were discussing the weather, "I am rather afraid it is mine."

"Yours?" asked Fudge, looking completely baffled.

"Mine, you see, I asked Neville to form this group, as I rather suspected it would become necessary to have a force standing ready for the future." Harry blinked, and Fudge looked crossed between ecstatic and horrified.

"You created a private army for use against the Ministry?" he asked,

"Not just the Ministry, but in essence, yes." Fudge gaped at him,

"Dumbledore no! Minister, he had nothing to do with it!" sputtered Neville, Harry noticed Dumbledore send a warning glance at the boy, before his face returned to its previous calm detachment.

"Most noble of you Neville, but obviously untrue, Neville was only following my instructions."

"Very well Dumbledore, As Minister for magic, I hereby declare you under arrest, Aurors, take this man to Azka…" Harry cut him off quickly, Fudge looked at him curiously,

"Minister, I feel we must not be hasty in our actions." He began, Harry saw that Dumbledore looked unsurprised in his interruption, evidently Dumbledore expected him to argue for something, "Professor Dumbledore, whatever his confessions today, is still a highly respected wizard."

Harry saw that the Headmaster looked almost amused at Harry's words, and he realised Dumbledore had expected him to argue for him to remain as Headmaster.

"we must therefore deliberate any action we take. the man deserves to go on trial, given his popular support, any action taken will be scrutinised heavily. Therefore, whilst we await an outcome, I recommend stripping Mister Dumbledore of his titles of Headmaster and Chief Warlock and rescinding him as our representative in the ICW, until such a time as he is found innocent or guilty of Treason, High Treason and sedition to commit insurrection, he should be held in a ministry holding cell."

There was silence when Harry finished, the smugly amused look in Dumbledore's eye had vanished and he instead looked very grave, Neville looked horrified, as did Professor McGonagall, Snape looked just as calm as ever, though his eyes were rather narrowed.

"An excellent suggestion." Fudge said, breaking the spell of silence, "and Mr Longbottom?"

Harry thought for a moment, "I think Mr Longbottoms crimes are only those of showing incredible loyalty to his school and Headmaster, something that should be applauded." Neville looked at him in shock, as did Fudge.

"Surely he deserves some punishment?"

"Of course minister, however I feel that any punishment should remain within Hogwarts, no need to give the boy a criminal record." Harry paused, "Although perhaps it would make sense… given Mr Longbottoms… history, for him to have regular school enforced meetings with a St Mungo's sanctioned Mind Healer." Fudge brightened considerably.

"An excellent idea Harry, your input is once again proving invaluable." Harry nodded, smiling slightly,

"Very well." Dumbledore suddenly spoke, Harry saw him look covertly at his phoenix.

"Headmaster." He called sharply, "Be advised, should you evade arrest, your actions will result in your being tried _in_ _absentia." _Dumbledore frowned for a moment, before nodding slowly.

"Aurors, please escort Mr Dumbledore to a holding cell, until such a time as he can be tried before the courts." Fudge said loudly. Harry smiled, raising his eyebrows victoriously at the defeated looking wizard.

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_**Dumbledore Arrested!  
**__William Wilbur, Judicial Correspondent_

_In what is possibly the most unexpected arrest in Britain long and distinguished history, Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin (first class) has been taken into ministry custody for Treason, High Treason, Sedition and conspiracy to commit insurrection._

_The accusations have been levelled after it emerged yesterday afternoon that Dumbledore (114) had created and developed an illegal Paramilitary organisation, known as Dumbledore's Army, or the DA for short at Hogwarts. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge gave this statement yesterday_

"The arrest of Albus Dumbledore is as shocking as it is serious. The entire political system has been thrown into disarray by these events. The trial of Mr Dumbledore will be a cause of great contention, but I urge the public to remain calm."

_Following the statements released, this publication attempted to reach Mr Harry Potter, a political ally of the Minister, but he was unavailable for comment, a source close to Mr Potter did state that he would watch the outcome of these events very closely. _

_Should Mr Dumbledore be found guilty, he will spend the rest of his life in the maximum security wing of Azkaban Prison. The organisation known as Dumbledore's Army, however given their status as students at Hogwarts, they will face no criminal prosecution._

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_**New Hogwarts Headmistress!  
**__Samantha Warwick, Educational correspondent._

_Following the highly publicised arrest of Mr Albus Dumbledore last night, Delores Umbridge, Defence against the Dark Arts teacher and Ministry appointed High Inquisitor has been unanimously voted in as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts by the board of governors. Taking her place as professor for Defence is Percival Weasely, previously of the Department of International Magical Cooperation._

_Cont. page 3, col 4_

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Miranda put down the paper in amusement, "I'm impressed." She murmured, "I didn't think you would be able to do it."

"a-thanking yous." Harry drawled with a grin. The two of them were relaxed on a wooden table overlooking the sea in Portsmouth. The small Wizarding settlement in the town was quiet and Harry had taken the two of them out for afternoon tea.

"You must admit it went better than you had been expecting." The blonde pushed, Harry grinned,

"Alright, yes. It went very well, and this could be the event that gets Fudge out of the picture." Miranda frowned,

"Fudge? You have Dumbledore arrested for high treason, the trial will likely be a farce, you know the current administration has been after him since he started spouting Voldemort's back, and yet you are using this to dispose of Fudge?" The gorgeous girls tone was incredulous and Harry chuckled,

"I think that's fair enough, don't you?" he asked innocently, Miranda glared

"Isn't it obvious?" he imagined steam pouring from the irate girls ears and he held his hands up in surrender, "alright, alright! Fudge ensures it's a show trial, Dumbledore gets sent to prison in disgrace."

At that point the waiter arrived with a steaming pot of tea and two mugs, the two paused as Harry poured two mugs, giving himself a generous splash of milk before handing over the jug and taking a short sip.

"So, Dumbledore is found guilty in a sham trial, Fudge is publically tied to the outcome, I campaign for its falsehood, get a retrial, Dumbledore found innocent, Fudge disgraced, and I am the hero of the hour. Easy." Miranda looked at her mug of tea as she thought deeply.

"Easy." She eventually agreed, "And does a certain benefactor agree with you? I imagine he would prefer Dumbledore dealt with." Harry nodded slowly,

"I haven't run it by him, but I would imagine it would take some convincing to get him on board." Harry chuckled, before holding up his white china teacup.

"Here's to us." He offered, she smiled at him puzzled, before tapping her glass to his in a cheers.

"To us." She echoed. They both drank the hot liquid, holding each other's gaze. "We need a holiday." Miranda eventually said, breaking the silence.

"I wish we could, but with everything going on, I don't know when we could go." Harry frowned, but Miranda didn't look upset or surprised by his answer,

"Don't worry, I know it's practically impossible right now, It was merely an observation." She laughed lightly and Harry grinned.

"A full holiday may be impossible, but I could always whisk you away for a passionate weekend of love sometime, that wouldn't be too tricky." Miranda smiled softly,

"That would be nice." She agreed, and they leant in for a quick kiss. The afternoon was growing late, and as the sun fell through the sky, the temperature descended with it, Miranda shivered slightly in the chilly April weather.

"Ready to go home?" Harry asked, dreading the pile of Papers he was sure to have waiting for him.

"Almost." Miranda drained the last of glass and stood up, Harry mirrored her motion, digging into his pocket he threw a few Silver sickles down onto the table, before taking Miranda's hand, in a sudden vortex the two vanished.

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_Ministry Holding Cell_

_June 6__th_

Dumbledore had been a captive of the Ministry for two months, and they had been a very dull two months for the aging Headmaster, he had many visitors, Fudge had dropped by a few times, to gloat mostly. Dumbledore had indulged the Ministers whims but the man's air of self-importance was rather draining after a while.

Then many members of the order had appeared, Mad eye, Sirius, and many others, whilst Molly Weasely often brought in samples of her delicious cooking, for which Dumbledore was incredibly grateful. The days dragged by, with nothing but a daily copy of_ the Daily Prophet. _Dumbledore had read the paper cover to cover every day that he had been a prisoner.

There were few articles of any particular interest, a Mind-Healer had diagnosed Neville with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and that had been the subject of some interest, most of the articles that Dumbledore read however were concerning himself.

Most irregularly for the Prophet, they appeared to be acting in a rather impartial and balanced approach. The _Letters to the Editor _section was filled with gossip and debate and whether or not his guilt was true, and he had felt his heart rise in pride as he saw so many of his past pupils and friends staunchly defending him.

What had interested the aging headmaster however, was the fact that Harry Potter had not declared himself a side in the saga, merely stating that he was _very interested _in the debate and would be _watching the proceedings carefully._ For a man who considered himself a political genius, Dumbledore was baffled as to why Harry would distance himself from such a high profile event which he had played such a key role in.

There came a loud knock on the door, and Dumbledore looked up,

"Come in!" he called in as strong a voice as he could. A youngish looking wizard poked his head through the door,

"Good Morning Mr Dumbledore sir."

"Good Morning Edmund, How are you?" Albus replied in as warm a voice

"Well thank you sir."

"Good, and the wife, she must be nearing her due date surely?" the man smiled broadly,

"Very nearly, I have the bag packed, you should see her sir, she's fit to burst!" the young jailer laughed and Dumbledore smiled happily.

"I am sure you will be an excellent Father."

"Thank you, You have a visitor, Mr Potter has asked to see you." Dumbledore smiled, _speak of the Devil…_ he thought briefly.

"Show him in, I would hate to leave such a high profile guest waiting." The jailer gave him a final nod before backing out, locking the door behind him.

There was a brief pause during Dumbledore attempted to straighten his robes and neaten his hair, less than two minutes later, he heard the sound of the keys jangling in the lock and on silent hinges the heavy door swung open.

"Good Morning Harry." Dumbledore greeted neutrally. Harry nodded in greeting, looking around the room carefully.

"Good Morning Headmaster, I love what you've done with the place, I hope you didn't go to all this effort on my behalf." The eighteen year old laughed loudly, transfiguring one of the hard backed seats into a far comfier looking version of itself, Dumbledore remained sat on the bed, watching Harry closely.

"Very amusing Harry. I trust there is a reason for you visit?" he asked,

"Not really, I thought It would be remiss if I weren't too visit at least once." Dumbledore nodded, surprised, he hadn't pictured Harry as the sort of man to gloat.

"Well, I am grateful for your presence Harry, it's a welcome distraction." Harry nodded with a cold smile,

"Thank you, though it would appear you have already had plenty of distractions." He pointed at the pile of old newspapers.

"Indeed, though one does get bored of current events eventually, no one has yet brought me a book, I would so appreciate a nice juicy romance." Harry was watching him as, clearly wondering whether or not he were joking.

"I will have one delivered, don't worry." Dumbledore nodded his thanks. "I understand my party has not done well in my absence?" Dumbledore spoke as the silence drew on. Harry laughed,

"Not as well as I imagine you hoped." He chuckled, Dumbledore knew exactly how badly his party had done in his absence, the many different factions had all split apart and the original core of the _progressives _was now numbering just 23, and they lacked any form of unifying leadership.

"No, it is a pity, Elphias has been coming down here near every day to ask for advice."

Harry rolled his eyes, "why you would choose him to succeed you is a mystery to me."

Dumbledore smiled slightly,

"He has a very good heart." He eventually said, Harry sneered,

"The man is as clumsy as he is stupid." Dumbledore gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders

"Perhaps, though I imagine you are rather pleased." Harry smiled coldly,

"I am very pleased."

"And acting head of the Traditionalist party, that is a big promotion." Harry nodded slowly,

"When Lucius was promoted to acting Chief Warlock, he evidently felt that I had the necessary skills to steer the party in the correct direction."

Dumbledore said nothing for several moments, merely peering down his long crooked nose at the boy in front of him,

"The Dark Lord is back Harry." He eventually said, Potter's face didn't move an inch, his eyes remaining emotionless.

"So you say."

"I find it unlikely that he would allow just anyone to take control of the party within which he holds such influence." Harry once again kept his face carefully blank,

"I imagine he would be rather selective." He eventually agreed.

"The Dark Lord must see a great deal in you if he gave you command of the Traditionalists."

"I was chosen by Lucius Malfoy." Harry immediately replied, Dumbledore felt such a strong surge of pity surge towards the green eyed youth before him,

"I am so very sorry Harry." He eventually said, his voice entirely sincere.

"Your pity means a great deal to me." Dumbledore sighed forlornly,

"How is Miss Rookwood?" Dumbledore felt pleased when he saw a flash of warmth pass through Harry's eyes.

"She is well." He carefully said

"Any plans between the two of you in the future?" the ex-headmaster asked calmly.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Well I believe it's fair to say you are on the fast track to becoming the next Minister for Magic Harry." Dumbledore said with a wry smile, Harry chuckled,

"I am glad you have such faith in me." Dumbledore waved away his comments,

"What I mean to say, is that there has never been an unmarried Minister, the public view such a person as far more grounded." Dumbledore saw the barest hint of a flush rise through Harry's neck.

"If I were to marry Miranda, it would not be for any reason to do with Politics." He stated quite coldly.

"Of course, I was merely making an observation."

The silence fell again, and the two men watched each other carefully. Finally, Dumbledore took in a long breath, and Harry sat straighter in his chair.

"You do know Harry, that I myself can never allow a servant of Lord Voldemort to take over this country. I will do everything necessary to stop such an event, however much I may despise the action I am forced to take." Harry stood up carefully, returning his plush armchair back to it's spindly origins with a flick of his wand.

"If I find any Servants of the Dark Lord running for the office, I will be sure to pass on the warning. Good Morning." With that, he knocked three times on the door, and ten seconds later the door was closed, he was gone and Dumbledore was alone once again.

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**Bing bang boom, what do you think?**

**Please leave a review, whether or not it's a criticism, suggestion or just praise, I love them all and take them all to heart.**

**Thank you**

**Marshall Angmar**


	25. Chapter 23

**Here we go...**

**this is the last chapter before the ball starts rolling, from here on out, Harry will start making gains, and become more powerful, I also think that the violence and war aspect will be along in 2/3 chapters, so hold on, it's not long now!**

**Thank you to all my readers, we are on 223 right now, lets so if we can reach 250! **

**Please enjoy!**

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Chapter 23

Harry was pacing before the closed door in frustration, following the atrocious week he had had, the last thing he had expected was to be left waiting for twenty minutes, and had it been anyone else behind the door he would have protested,

"If you're not careful, you'll wear through the floor." Harry turned and glared at Rosier, before his expression softened slightly, and he chuckled, walking over to the seat next to the older wizard.

"Very well Evan, let us wait like civilised men."

The two sat together, the silence growing more and more tense, Harry glared at his watch and noted that another ten minutes has passed since he had sat. With a muttered curse he stood up, and was about to resume his relentless pacing when the high doors swung open.

"Harry, Evan, Good Morning, I trust you haven't been waiting long?" the Dark Lord asked, a wide smirk playing across his lips, Harry bowed slightly,

"Of course not my Lord, it was no trouble." Beside him he felt Rosier nod in agreement.

"Well please, do come in, we have a lot to talk about."

The dark haired young man stepped aside and ushered his two followers inside. Harry found himself in the Dark Lords study, the high bay windows showering the room in light, illuminating the many high bookshelves filled with countless tomes.

Harry strode through the room with a familial sense of disregard, barely giving the elegant room a glance, taking a seat in one of the carved wooden seats that stood in front of the large mahogany desk, Harry used his Occlumency shields to suppress the feelings of irritation he still felt bubbling below the surface.

"I do apologise for the wait Harry, I merely thought that given your current status, you were at risk of losing all humility, which we just can't have now can we?"

"As I said my Lord, it is no trouble."

"Quite." The Dark Lord surveyed him for a moment, Harry met his gaze strongly, and the two men appraised each other. Eventually the Dark Lord looked away, and when his scarlet eyes met Harry's again, the amusement was gone, replaced by cold, angry orbs.

The Dark Lord picked up a copy of _The Daily Prophet _from his desk and threw it to Harry,

"Explain." The words were hissed out slowly, and Harry's eyes flicked down to the Headline,

_**ALBUS DUMBLEDORE CLEARED OF ALL CHARGES! **_

"Fudge was smarter than we thought." Harry replied evenly, keeping his eyes firmly above the Dark Lords head.

"_We?" _asked Riddle, "There is no we. This was your doing. Your mistake."

"Of course My Lord." Harry took a deep breath, "I had thought that Fudge would have ensured Dumbledore's arrest. The man surprised me by organising a fair trial, perhaps he is not as incompetent as we had thought. It will not happen again."

The Dark Lord surveyed him for a long moment, his face impossible to read,

"I cannot blame this entirely on you Harry, Lucius supported your plan of course. It is sometimes easy to forget you are only 18." Harry kept his face impassive, whilst the Dark Lord watched him.

"It will not happen again." He repeated, Riddle frowned at him slowly,

"No, It won't…" Harry knew what was coming a second before the Dark Lord sent the silent curse at him.

Once more Harry felt his entire body experience pain beyond pain, he was dimly aware as he slid out of his chair and onto the floor, he scraped his hands across the polished wood, registering as his nails cracked and broke. After an eternity of agony, it was suddenly gone, leaving Harry with a pounding heart and painful throb in his hands.

On shaky legs, He pulled himself back up to his chair, clasping his shaking hands together and drawing in a wavering breath.

"Apology accepted." Harry looked up at Voldemort and saw the man leering at him. The Dark Lord stared at him for a few seconds, "how do you plan to move on from this failure?"

Harry swallowed, "I will have to follow a new tactic, Dumbledore is clearly aware of my connection to you my Lord, I am concerned about future reprisals."

Riddle laughed, though the sound was cold and lacked any emotion,

"Dumbledore is a fool, he doesn't have the strength to kill those who get in his way." Harry shrugged,

"I don't think so, the man may be altogether too forgiving, however I believe he would destroy those he feels present a true threat to him." Beside him, Evan, who had been quiet up until this point spoke up.

"My Lord, I believe Potter may be correct, he has learnt the lessons of the last war, I fear we cannot rely on his pacifist doctrine anymore." The Dark Lord turned to Rosier slowly, the tall fair haired man looked down at the table quickly.

"Indeed?" he nodded, "I have heard similar reports also, Dumbledore has always believed Death to be a blessing to many…"

Harry looked at Evan and the older man nodded,

"Precisely my Lord, I believe that many of the high profile members of your organisation are at risk from assassination attempts from the Order of the Phoenix." The Dark Lord waved away the suggestion airily,

"Whilst I am prepared to accept the idea of Albus killing on the battlefield, the man still has some morals, he would never sanction assassination."

"Perhaps not, but Mad-Eye Moody would, Sirius Black would, indeed, most of the survivors of the first war would happily end any sort of conflict before it begins with a well-timed curse."

Voldemort eyed him carefully, after around thirty seconds, the he nodded,

"Agreed." He laughed to himself, "I assume you have a plan?" Harry nodded.

"That is why I have brought Evan here." Riddle glanced at Evan quickly, before he nodded for Harry to continue.

"I would like to form a new group, technically under the control of the BAL, but in practice under Mr Rosier and I's direct control." The Dark Lord surveyed him curiously,

"And what would this group do?" Harry took a deep breath,

"They would be a disciplined, militant force, tasked with protecting High Value public figures in the Traditionalists." He released the breath slowly, watching Voldemort's face intently, the Dark Lord looked amused,

"You wish me to sanction the creation of an army loyal to you?" he asked with a small smirk, Evan quickly jumped in defence of the idea,

"No my Lord, not an army, merely a bodyguard service, it would not need to be more than… sixty members." Rosier looked at Harry, who nodded in agreement at the number

"Consider it my Lord, a very visible, very disciplined display of our strength, it would serve great Political value."

Riddle watched the two of them for a very long time, neither Harry nor Evan dared to breath.

"Very Well, but I expect a full list of members, and I expect you to ensure that this group's loyalty is to you two, it would not do for some uppity Politician to gain ideas above his station."

"Yes my Lord." The two men murmured, Voldemort nodded slowly,

"You may go. Harry, do not fail me again."

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When Harry returned to the flat that night he was furious. He slammed the door violently, and strode straight across the sitting room to the tall grandfather clock. Opening the stand, he revealed a modest variety of bottles. With scarcely a look at the labels, he pulled one out and filled a conjured glass with the amber liquid.

"Bad day?" Miranda asked, sauntering around the door from the bedroom.

"You could say that."

"Were you not seeing _him _today?" she asked, Harry nodded, grimacing as he took another generous gulp.

"That bad hmm?" the blonde asked carefully, Harry shook his head, tiredly.

"I can handle the pain, it's just the nerve of the man, I have been in the government for one year, in that time I have made myself incredibly popular, passed over a dozen pieces of legislation and revolutionised the way the party works, and now I make one mistake, which has no political ramifications for me…" Harry sighed, running his hand through his dark hair angrily, he refilled his glass with another generous measure and knocked it back in one.

Behind him he felt Miranda embrace him tightly from behind.

"Don't be such a fucking weakling Potter." Harry snorted, "You knew the Dark Lord was an megalomaniac when you joined him"

"True enough." He replied,

"And besides, when we win, you will still hold influence, then all we need to do is wait, the Dark Lord is mortal, and will eventually die," she murmured into his shoulder, Harry turned and looked into her shining blue eyes,

"Whereas we will live forever." He whispered, "Together." The girl smiled,

"Precisely, who could be better suited to inherit the nation than the Dark Lord's most trusted lieutenant? 0We shall rule together, forever."

Harry smiled broadly, before he swept down and captured the girl's lips into a passionate kiss, carrying her through to the bedroom, kicking off his shoes as he did so.

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**3 Months Later**

On a chilly day in September, Harry reflected that forming a bodyguard unit was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. He and Evan had been working whenever they had time to create their vision.

There had been problems with the financing, problems with the training, problems acquiring uniforms, problems with the legality of the issue, but finally, after many sleepless nights, Harry's Legion stood before him. Harry had inspected their training only a few times, as whilst he had been working on the bureaucratic side of things, Evan, who had far more combat experience than Harry, had trained them, hard, for the last three months.

There were more than sixty of them, their numbers counted 94 at the last check, but Harry was pleased with each and every one of them. The _Dark Shield_ had surpassed all of Harry's initial expectations, selected from the best of the surge of volunteers they had received, the legion comprised of only wizards aged between 20 and 30.

He had received an owl from Rosier that day, in which the man had eagerly told Harry that they were ready. Harry had wasted no time, immediately apparating to a windswept patch of moor in Devon. The training camp was small, with two dozen magical tents set up, as well as a well-trod Parade Ground, at the head of which Harry currently stood.

"Magnificent aren't they?" Evan asked, his voice filled with pride, Harry nodded in pleasure, the soldiers lined up before him were certainly impressive.

Each man looked resplendent in a fitted double breasted black Jacket, decorated in silver thread, with a high stiff collar, sown onto which were the letters _**DS. **_They wore loose black trousers, decorated only with a single red strip running down the outside leg, and highly polished knee high leather boots. Beside him, Evan was dressed in the same uniform, though with gold in the place of silver on his jacket.

"Magnificent doesn't do them justice." Harry murmured, his green eyes shining, "This is the Parade uniform I presume?" he questioned,

"Correct, for field duty they have far less extravagant outfits."

"If they fight as well as they parade, then they must be fearsome indeed." Harry complimented, Rosier chuckled,

"Perhaps a demonstration?" Harry grinned and nodded, Evan smiled lightly,

"Dark Shield." He shouted, the men before him came to attention in a single hard movement.

"Dark Shield, Mr Potter would like a demonstration of your prowess." Evan surveyed his soldiers with a proud smile, "Who would care to volunteer?"

As one the entire unit took a measured step forward, Harry laughed,

"I can't fault their enthusiasm." Evan flushed lightly,

"Jackson, Morris and Leeche, step forward." Three men stepped out of the formation and took up a clearly practiced situation, Rosier turned to Harry to explain,

"The Dummy there is supposed to be you Harry, Leeche and Jackson will try to kill you, whilst Morris will keep you alive." Harry nodded slowly,

"So our men are also trained in the termination of defended targets?" he asked, Rosier's smile became suddenly more sinister.

"I thought it best to be prepared for any eventuality." He deadpanned, Harry nodded, and returned his attention to the Demonstration.

The men were good, they moved fast, the two attackers fluidly probing defences whilst the defender danced around, keeping the Dummy safe. After five minutes of combat, Evan called the display to an end. The three men immediately stopped what they were doing and saluted, before stepping into line once more.

Harry turned to Evan with a wide grin, "How fast can we have them in service?"

"Tomorrow." The fair haired man said confidently, Harry clasped him on his shoulder, feeling the stiff decoration of his jacket under his hand.

"Make it happen my friend." Evan nodded seriously,

"It will be done, I cannot wait to see Dumbledore's face when he learns of this." Harry laughed and nodded, clapping Rosier on the back once more, before disaparating with a crack.

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_**Traditionalists Defend 'Dark Shield'  
**__Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent.  
September 10__th_

_The halls of the Wizengamot this morning were rocked with controversy following the announcement of the Traditionalists having formed an elite unit of bodyguards. Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Headmaster of Hogwarts and Supreme Mugwump of the International confederation of Wizards, immediately decried the existence of the _Dark Shield, _stating_

"For a political party to require a paramilitary force in any situation is laughable, the only reason this _Dark Shield _exists is for Political Bullying."

_Lucius Malfoy, who has recently retaken his place as head of the Traditionalists, following Dumbledore's return to the position of Chief Warlock, however defended his party's new force,_

"The _Dark Shield _are not an offensive force, they exist to ensure the safety of the Parties members."

_This journalist was able to talk to Harry Potter last night and ask what his response to Dumbledore's attack on his _Dark Shield, _an organisation he is rumoured to have worked to create. _

"I cannot understand Dumbledore's complaints, isn't every concern he has about the DS (_Dark Shield) _equally applicable to the Chief Warlocks own 'Order of the Phoenix?' A far more aggressive paramilitary force, which exists to fight Dark magic with or without Ministry support."

Cont. page 9, col. 1

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_**Trade mission to France named  
**__Bernie Sprocket, Business Correspondent.  
September 31__st_

_The ministry today announced the names of the eight witches and wizards chosen to travel to Paris and refresh Britain's trade agreement with the French Wizarding republic._

_Of those named, two are politicians, Edwin Truffle, BPP and Harry Potter, Traditionalists, and they shall be joined by William Pennyside and Jane Fairweather, both of International Magical Trading Standards agency._

_In addition, several members of leading British businesses shall be present as well, as yet unnamed, they shall represent members of the _Nimbus _broom company, _Flashtravel _Floo powder manufacturers_, Weights & Measures _Cauldron Design and _Gladrags Wizardwear.

_The trade mission is due to leave on tomorrow, and according to ministry sources, will spend approximately two weeks in the French capital._

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Harry looked around the large room in frustration, though he made sure he kept his face carefully blank as he did so, it would hardly do to insult their hosts at the present time.

"… so of course, any reductions in tariffs would be highly appreciated." The steel-haired woman from the Department of international Magical Trading standards agency was speaking, the Frenchman opposite her held a smug expression as he perused the sheet of parchment in his hands.

"Well of course, 'owever, any reduction in a tariff would lose the French Ministry many s'ousands of Galleons."

Harry tuned out the conversation, it wasn't as if he was expected to provide input in these arguments, his role was expected in the evenings, where he promoted closer ties between the British and French governments.

From his comfortable seat at the long table, Harry imagined the smug look of satisfaction on Dumbledore's face. He knew that it was the Headmasters recommendation that had resulted in him being here. Albus clearly wanted him out of the picture whilst he rebuilt his party from the ruin it had become. Harry would have applauded such a successful move on the veteran statesman's part, had it not resulted in him having to attend these mind numbing discussions.

On the seat to his right, Harry snorted softly as he watched Edwin Truffle preen, the man was a second rate politician who had done nothing to make himself stand out, in short, the sort of man who would typically go on a trade mission with a Nation Britain had been comfortably trading with for hundreds of years.

"D'accord."

Harry blinked and looked up, everyone appeared to have a smile on their face, and Harry assumed such an expression could only come from the end of the meeting. He smiled brightly and shook hands with his opposite man, the French Politician looked just as bored as he did, and the two men rolled their eyes at each other.

"Lunch?" Harry asked, the man laughed loudly and nodded,

"Mon dieu, I 'ope so."

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"I propose a toast," Harry announced from the Dinner table, "At the end of this, the first week of negotiations, to our ever gracious hosts."

There were calls of agreement from the rest of the dinner table as the rest of the English delegation raised their glasses. Harry sat back down with a smile,

"I must say, it is rather a pleasant surprise to have you here Mr Potter." The young woman next to him said, "When my father invited me, I had rather thought I would be surrounded by boring suits." Harry smiled at her, the girl was young, Harry guessed early twenties, and quite beautiful, in a very continental way.

"I do aim to please, may I compliment you on your English, it is quite phenomenal." He replied, the young woman waved her hand casually,

"I attended Hogwarts for my last two years of Education, my father thought it wise given his position."

"Your Father is a wise man, clearly." The girl smiled,

"Well, being the _ambassadeur de commerce_ to England does involve interaction with your country from time to time." She laughed, Harry nodded his head at the point.

"Well you may thank him for me, I like you, had feared this would be an event for overweight old men, your presence is a delightful surprise."

Harry's interest in what the girl said to him next was lost as he saw who entered the room late. Jean-Sebastian Delacour strode in and looked around, his eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before he smiled and opened his arms wide,

"I am sorry I am late, I hoped I haven't missed too much!" he called warmly,

"Not at all, Monsieur Delacour, we have only just started our main course." One of the French Businessmen said quickly,

"Excellent, well, I hope it would be alright if I were to join you?" A chair was brought out for the man, and a place hastily laid by frantic looking house elves. Before long the conversation got back underway and Harry turned back to the girl he had been listening to before the Jean-Sebastian had walked in.

"That's Jean-Sebastian Delacour, he is the Head of the département de la coopération magique internationale, though Papa says the President listens to him for almost all his decisions."

"I know of Mr Delacour, his daughter and I are… friends." He murmured, eyeing the Frenchmen predatorily,

"Fleur?" the girl asked, Harry nodded distractedly, "she was two years below me at Beauxbatons, how is she?" Harry shrugged,

"I haven't seen her in a year or so, last I heard she is working at Gringotts." This set the girl off on a long diatribe on what Fleur had been like at school, Harry listened with half an ear, not too interested in the girl's conversation.

Eventually the meal came to an end and Harry smiled politely at everyone, shaking hands here and laughing at unfunny jokes there. When he finally managed to get to his bed, he was exhausted, his eyes were sore and his stomach felt bloated, he didn't think his English constitution agreed with the French diet, not that he would ever dare say anything to this effect when his hosts could hear.

The next day was Sunday, and the English were treated to a tour of some of Wizarding France's major commercial areas, they were shown the expansive enchanted forests, from which wand woods and broomsticks were fashioned before flooing to the south, and touring the vast greenhouses where France grew its main magical export, potion ingredients.

However, the remarkable day ended, and all too soon Harry was back in the tedious boardroom, listening to debates go back and forth on the standardisation of Exports, whatever the hell that meant.

In this fashion the days progressed, the evenings were spent in opulent luxury, listening to speeches and drinking expensive wine, which almost made up for the tedious days spent in agonising tedium. On the final supper of the delegation, Harry was accosted just minutes after the meal finished.

"I had been meaning to talk to you Mr Potter." Harry turned and to his pleasure saw Jean-Sebastian Delacour smiling at him,

"You almost missed your opportunity." Harry joked,

"Well, I have you now." Harry nodded his agreement. "Have you found the talks satisfactory?"

"I think both parties are very satisfied with the outcome." Harry replied smoothly, Delacour laughed,

"An excellent answer, you needn't lie, they are rather grating aren't they?" Harry smiled and chuckled,

"I am curious why you are here Mr Potter, you are not the typical candidate for a trade mission." Harry raised one eyebrow,

"Oh? And why is that?" The elder Frenchmen smirked and looked at Truffle who was currently talking to the two French Politicians,

"I'd have thought that obvious Harry, you are relevant." Harry smiled

"Thank you, I suppose." He paused and looked the tall man in the eye, "have you been interested in my career Mr Delacour?"

"Of course." The man lowered his voice, "given your relationship to Fleur, I had thought it expedient."

Harry nodded, and Jean-Sebastian saw the boy's expression shift ever so slightly, becoming more predacious, the Frenchmen stiffened ever so slightly, and the air between the two became suddenly colder,

"Mr Delacour" Harry began, "I think we both know that I am not here by choice, and I feel it would be a waste of two weeks if I were not to get anything out of this trip."

"And what do you expect from me?" he asked, his tone cautious.

"Oh, I am sure you will think of something." Harry replied airily, though his insides were roiling, "How's Fleur?" he asked deceptively calmly,

"She is fine." The Frenchman replied, his voice hard and with a dangerous edge. "She is engaged to an Englishman, Bill Weasely."

"Wonderful." Harry's voice remained soft, though his eyes told a very different story, "I imagine you must be very happy."

"Her happiness means more to me than I could say." The man growled out, and Harry let a mocking smile grow on his face,

"As it should be for any father." He leant in closer to the Frenchmen, "I would prefer excellent publicity from this event Jean-Sebastian, if not… well, I don't think anyone will be attending Fleurs wedding in the near future."

The man was silent, glaring down at Harry murderously, and Harry quickly checked to make sure the two _DS-guards_ who had accompanied him on this trip were nearby.

"I have worked in Politics for 31 years Potter." He eventually ground out, "And in that time I have never been so insulted as I am now."

Harry kept his face calm, and prayed the man couldn't hear his wildly beating heart.

"I will do what I can, though I warn you, should you ever use my daughter against me again…" he trailed off warningly,

"You will do exactly what I say, for you are a good father, and a good man. Whilst I have the benefit of being neither, Good day Jean."

With deceptively calm steps, Harry strode away, his two guards in their immaculate uniforms quickly falling into step behind him. When he found himself alone in a corridor he stopped and leant against the wall.

_Idiot. _He rebuked himself silently, _what the fuck were you thinking?! _To blackmail the one of the most important men in France was foolish in the extreme, he could only blame his frustration in the entire situation, having been sent on a mission he deserved to be no part of, and then to sit through hours of torturously dull meetings had clearly done a number on his mind, there was no other explanation.

He silently thanked whatever god's existed that he was going back home in less than an hour, he wasn't sure he would be able to handle seeing the honourable Frenchmen again.

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_**Closer ties with France?  
**__Valerie Truman, International Correspondent  
October 15__th_

_Following the successful renegotiation of the Franco-British trade agreement which concluded last night, The French foreign office has suggested that closer political and economic ties between England and France at this time were a strong possibility thanks to their success._

_Many have suggested that Harry Potter's presence on the Trade Mission have been responsible for this new direction on the future of Diplomacy, Jean-Sebastian Delacour, the French head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation spoke following the conclusion of events last night, _

"Mr Potter spoke to me of the idea of an economic union between our two great countries and I found myself intrigued by such an idea, he was very persuasive, and hopefully our governments can work together to make his powerful vision a reality."

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_**Results of our competition come in!  
**__Sophie Kale  
October 26__th_

_Last month, _Witch Weekly _asked its readers to write in to and tell us who fit certain categories, well, today the results came in, and they are very interesting, _

_Most Successful Singer: Celestina Warbeck (38)  
Once again, our favourite singing sorceress has topped our poll, with her sell-out tour 'Spellbound', Celestina has been the nations favourite for eight years now._

_Most Influential 'Power Couple': Harry Potter (19) and Miranda Rookwood (22)  
The first time we've had a politician in our polls, Harry Potter has taken the country by storm, however, we all know that his charismatic charm and good looks would mean nothing without the stunning Miranda Rookwood keeping him on track._

_Most Influential Female: Glenda Chittock (29).  
Hosting the enormously popular Witching Hour on the WWN, Glenda has been a part of every witch's life for the last three years, her special brand humour and investigative journalism make her great fun and a hugely successful host._

_Most Influential Male: Harry Potter (19)  
The runaway winner in our little competition, Harry Potter has clearly been impressing our readers with his popular ideas and genuine outlook, it probably doesn't hurt that he's so easy to look at too._

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Dumbledore was pacing angrily in his study at Hogwarts, despite his success in getting Harry sent off to France for two weeks, the old man had still been unsuccessful in reforming the Progressive party. Many of his old allies had returned to his cause following his short stint in prison, however it wasn't nearly enough, from the original body of 53, the Progressives now counted only 39 members.

Whilst Dumbledore wouldn't have been too concerned, he still had another year before the elections after all, he was concerned about the fact that some of his old supporters had defected to the Traditionalists, citing that they would rather be part of a party that got things done.

Dumbledore sighed angrily as he collapsed into his chair, kneading his temples with his withered fingers as he desperately thought about a way out of the current situation.

The easiest way to achieve this would be to prove the Dark Lord had returned. Were the public to discover that he had been right all along, he was certain that his parties support would skyrocket. However, that proof was proving to be very hard to achieve. The Dark Lord had revealed himself to only a few of his most loyal servants, and this time was engaging in no violence, no muggle tortures and far fewer disappearances than he had expected.

Even Dumbledore's closest allies were beginning to doubt Neville's story of Voldemort's return, after all, it had been almost eighteen months and nothing, recruitment to the order of the phoenix had all but dried up, and Fudge was still having the Prophet write slanderous articles about him. It was infuriating.

"Professor Dumbledore sir?" Albus looked up and smiled wearily when he saw Neville's head poking around his door.

"Aha, Neville, do come in." he greeted warmly, and waited until Neville was sat opposite and comfortable,

"Now, Neville, I imagine you have been wondering what I plan to teach you during these lessons?" he asked with a small smile,

"Yes sir," he responded politely, Dumbledore smiled,

"I imagine you have some theories?" he pressed, Neville flushed a little and nodded,

"Well, Ron thought perhaps, some powerful magic I could use to defeat Voldemort…" he trailed off, Dumbledore motioned for him to continue, watching him calmly,

"Well, Hermione thought you might know something, a secret, which you wanted to tell me." Dumbledore clapped his hands together happily,

"Once again, dear Hermione has proven herself to be quite brilliant." Neville looked up,

"She was right? You know something?"

"I know many something's, it is the benefit of having lived rather a lot of years." Dumbledore replied with a wry smile, Neville blushed

"yes sir, but…" the headmaster cut him off,

"But I also know several things about Lord Voldemort, things I believe you would be better off knowing." Neville nodded, an excited look on his face,

"I suppose the wisest place to begin would be the beginning, it seems prudent to me, does it not?" he asked casually, Neville nodded and Dumbledore smiled, he pulled open a drawer and withdrew a wide shallow basin.

"Do you know what this is Neville?" he asked, Neville nodded,

"That's a pensieve, we have one at home." His voice was proud and the Headmaster nodded sagely,

"You are correct, and you are also very lucky, for very few pensieves exist nowadays, their creation is a lost art I am afraid, so guard yours well!" Neville nodded hastily,

"I am going to show you one of my memories first, which I am sure will answer a great many questions you no doubt have, are you ready?" Neville nodded, with three quick flicks of his wand, Neville saw a misty figure rise out of the basin,

"That's…"

"Professor Trelawney. Correct, now listen closely" Dumbledore finished for him, Neville watched in amazement as the Divination Professor spoke in a cracked, croaky tone,

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live whilst the other survives."_

There was silence when the figure finished speaking, and Neville watched Dumbledore in confusion,

"Did that mean?... Did she mean…"

"She meant you Neville, of that there can be no doubt." Dumbledore watched the sixteen year old before him carefully, his eyes filled with pity,

"But... so, I have to die?" his voice was quiet and Dumbledore at once leant forward and gripped his hands tightly,

"No!" he shook Neville ever so slightly, "No, did you not listen to the prophecy? He will have a power the Dark Lord knows not. You have a power Neville, you can defeat Voldemort."

"But, I don't have any powers, I think I displayed my incompetence at the Triwizard tournament!" He mumbled the last bit and his cheeks pinked,

"Neville, that was two years ago, you have grown since then, besides, there are many forms of strength, many forms of power." Neville looked at him in confusion and Dumbledore sighed,

"What do you have that Voldemort will never possess?" Dumbledore asked simply, Neville frowned,

"I… I don't know." He finally admitted, Dumbledore looked unsurprised,

"You have Love Neville, and I assure, there is no greater power in the world."

"Love?" the teen sounded Dubious,

"Yes, it was love that saved you as a baby, and it is love that protects you even now, Voldemort cannot feel love, he doesn't understand it, and that is his greatest weakness."

"So, I can defeat him with this love?" he asked, still sounded unconvinced,

"This power makes you far greater than him Neville, I assure you of that."

The boy nodded slowly, though he still looked confused, Dumbledore sighed,

"Neville, I would like to discuss with you something else if I may?" Neville nodded distractedly,

"What do you know of Harry Potters exploits since leaving Hogwarts?" the headmaster asked, Neville looked thoughtful for a moment,

"He's done quite a bit, very well respected politician, always seems to be at these high society parties with his girlfriend… Miranda. And isn't he in charge of the _British Action League?_ That group which goes around having rallies and attacking people who campaign against the Traditionalists, he doesn't seem to get on very well with you though, didn't he say you think rather than act or something?" Dumbledore chuckled,

"He did indeed, and you have most of Mr Potters past couple of years well summed up." He smiled in praise at Neville, "However, I am afraid that at some stage since leaving Hogwarts, Harry Potter allied himself to the Dark Lord." The Headmaster frowned for a moment, "although perhaps ally is the wrong phrase, the Dark Lord has no allies, nor has he friends, he has servants."

"Potter is a Death Eater?" Neville asked horrified, Dumbledore nodded sadly, "Then arrest him, or kill him, or something!" Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders sadly,

"He is too powerful to arrest, and I wouldn't kill him even if I could, though his new guards would make any attempt nigh impossible." Neville frowned,

"But he's a death eater, surely you could get a group together and just…" he mimed stabbing someone and Dumbledore frowned,

"He may be a death eater, but Harry Potter is not irredeemable, I will not try to kill him until I have no other choice." He spoke firmly, and Neville appeared cowed.

"Yes sir." He eventually agreed, Dumbledore nodded.

"The problem for you Neville, is that as you know, Harry Potter is a very capable wizard, he could outduel nearly anyone in the country when he left Hogwarts, and since then I am sure he has been training regularly with many veterans of the previous war."

"You think he will become another Dark Lord?" Neville asked nervously, Dumbledore chuckled,

"I doubt Harry Potter would survive long if Voldemort believed him a threat or disloyal, what concerns me most about Mr Potter is Miranda Rookwood."

Neville looked at him in confusion, "You mean her father?" he finally asked, Dumbledore shook his head,

"I do not mean Miss Rookwood herself, I mean what she represents. Harry Potter, whatever his other faults, loves Miranda very much, and that gives him a certain strength, I believe she is what he fights for, and she also keeps him grounded." Neville seemed to realise what he was saying,

"And you said love is the most powerful force in the world." He murmured, Dumbledore nodded sadly,

"Correct, do not naively assume that the _good_ side has a monopoly on love, Harry Potters love makes him, in many ways, far more dangerous than the Dark Lord."

Neville gulped slightly as he remembered Potters skill and power from the tournament.

"How am I supposed to defeat both Potter and Voldemort?" he asked, a note of panic in his voice, Dumbledore chuckled,

"My dear boy, don't get ahead of yourself, the prophecy states you will kill Voldemort, you have no responsibility towards Harry Potter, do not worry." Neville forced a weak smile,

"What I don't understand is why you haven't attacked." Dumbledore looked at him curiously, "Well, you know his followers and the like, why not attack them now?" Dumbledore frowned lightly,

"Neville, Voldemort is not attacking indiscriminately anymore, he is staying in the shadows, if I were to attack now, I would be attacking the Traditionalist Party, please do not forget that Britain loves Harry Potter, he is '_The Peoples Politician' _any attack we make on him right now will make us look like we are in the wrong, until Voldemort himself acts, Harry Potter is free to do what he wants." Neville looked lost when Dumbledore finished, and the silence between the two of them grew larger and longer.

"What can we do?" Neville finally asked, his voice very small, Dumbledore leant forward and looked the teenager deep in the eyes.

"We can wait, we can watch, and we can prepare."

**AN**

**I really hope you enjoyed, please review and give me your thoughts, I love reading them, I really do.**

**For those of you interested, the links on how I picture the DS-Guards Uniforms are on my profile...**

**Please review, you must know how much I love them, any author really does, so please spare me a few moments!**

**Love and kisses**

**Marshall **


	26. Chapter 24

**Hello again,**

**Good News, This chapter is the final of the Political Arc, so those of you who have been eager for the violence and pain and gore to begin... next chapter! **

**There is a lot going on in this chapter, over a dozen hints for the future, some obvious others... less so.**

**Anyway, I would like to thank all of you who reviewed, the last chapter got the second most reviews of anything I've posted, please enjoy this chapter, and I beg of you to leave your thoughts!**

* * *

Chapter 24

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_**Midterm Poll results come in!  
**__Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent  
January 21__st_

_British Peoples Party: 36%  
Progressive Party: 26%  
Traditionalist Party: 35%_

_The results for the Wizengamot midterm polls have come in, and have caused a lot of speculation and discussion already, the significant losses shown by the Progressives have been expected, for the party has still failed to reunite following its fractioning last May._

_Many analysts however have expressed their surprise that the Traditionalists have not shown greater gains. Following a highly successful and well publicised year, they were expected to be the runaway leaders in these polls. _

_Full analysis: page 4  
Future Predictions: page 21_

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"…unexpected, however we have shown significant growth, I am confident that given another year, we will be the largest party in government." Lucius stated, his chin held firmly and hands clasped behind his back.

"I had expected more Lucius, why have we not shown greater progress?" The Dark Lord looked around at the ten wizards in the room, they were all silent, and with a resigned sigh, Harry stood up, everyone in the room suddenly turned to look at him,

"Yes Harry? Do you have something to say?"

"I do." Harry said neutrally, he turned to the Malfoy patriarch, "Mr Malfoy, I mean no disrespect, you have served this party, and our Lord very well, I do not wish to belittle that in any way." Lucius nodded his head jerkily and the Dark Lord gestured for him to continue.

"My Lord, The Traditionalist party has long had a stigma attached, many still view it as the party of the death eaters, and are unwilling to vote in such an organisation, our liberal direction of the last year has simply not been enough to change that." The Dark Lord nodded, stroking his chin in thought as he considered Harry's words.

"Is this true Lucius?" he eventually asked, Malfoy looked uncomfortable,

"Whilst it is true that the Malfoy name is not as widely respected as it once was…" he trailed off and looked a little embarrassed, "for the most part it is true, yes my lord."

Voldemort cackled at the refined man's discomfort and Harry felt the corners of his lips twitch.

"Very well Harry, what would you suggest we do?" Harry paused and looked down the length of the table, taking in the interested faces of the men and women looking at him,

"My suggestion would be to entirely refresh the party's image, I mean a new name, a new leader, a new symbol. We create ourselves again, only this time without such a negative image." There were loud mutters around the room, and Harry heard phrases such as _outrageous _and _preposterous _being thrown around, he held his hands up in a calming gesture,

"I am not proposing the removal of any members of the party, merely a rebranding." The mutters quieted and Harry turned to look at Lucius and Riddle.

"Lucius?" the Dark Lord asked, his tone curious.

"It could work, certainly." The man replied, he sounded cautious, not that Harry could really blame him, "However, it would require a great deal of effort, we would require the full cooperation of the _BAL,_ else we are unlikely to get enough publicity before the elections."

Harry sat back as the debate began in earnest, it became immediately clear that the majority of the room was in agreement with him, however there were a few who were firmly standing by their beliefs and their faith in the Traditionalist image.

Eventually however, Harry persuaded everyone to his side, though it took rather a lot of effort, and he was certain a few of them were unhappy to have sided with him. Nevertheless Harry didn't care, for now he had far more important things to worry about than a few disgruntled members.

When the meeting came to a close, he quickly hurried outside the Malfoy home, barely noticing the four DS-Guards who took up in formation around him. As soon as he was clear of the wards, he turned on the spot, vanishing in mid-air with a soft pop.

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"You seem frightfully cheerful today." Miranda noted as he strode through the door,

"The party leaders agreed, as did he."

"So the party is yours then?" The blonde asked, looking up from the newspaper she had been reading, Harry smiled broadly,

"As good as, Lucius accepted that he is viewed too negatively by the public to ever gain enough of a popular backing to rewrite the constitution." Miranda smiled and stood up, Harry quickly walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning around, the girl laughed,

"Put me down you insufferable oaf, you haven't done anything yet!" Harry chuckled but acquiesced, putting her back on her feet with a huff.

"Do you want to go out to Supper tonight? My treat, you choose wherever you want to go."

"My my, how very generous of you, I accept." Harry bowed low,

"And where would the lady like to go?" he asked with a simpering voice,

"You may escort me to Gilbert & Grants, we haven't been there for a while." Harry smiled and nodded,

"Agreed. Shall we say eight o'clock?" Miranda shook her head,

"7.30, some of us have to work tomorrow." Harry nodded and smiled, swooping down to plant a chaste kiss on the girls cheek before turning and walking towards the bedroom.

The meal that evening was delicious, once they had successfully polished off two courses, Harry and Miranda sat in quiet conversation with a bottle of wine between them.

"And a name?" Miranda asked, Harry shrugged,

"Not sure yet, but something like the National Conservative Union, what do you think?"

"Maybe, it's alright I guess." Harry chuckled,

"High praise indeed." He teased, the blonde rolled her eyes,

As they began to make some more headway into the bottle of wine, Harry felt his heart rate begin to rise steadily, Miranda looked at him funnily,

"Are you alright?" she asked, "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, how are you?" he replied quickly, the blonde looked at him quizzically,

"Fine, what's going on?" Harry was silent for a few moments,

"Miranda, we've always said that we were going to rule together didn't we?" Harry's hands felt clammy, and his breathing came in shallow fast breaths.

"Yes, and to the best of my knowledge that hasn't changed. It hasn't changed has it Potter?" her voice suddenly became flinty, and she glared at Harry suspiciously, he smiled at her, and shook his head,

"No, I simply wanted to know if you were as committed to the idea as I was." The girl's look of confusion returned,

"What do you... oh." She went suddenly silent when Harry revealed the diamond and sapphire ring in its blue velvet box.

"Will you marry me?" he asked, looking deep into the blonde's wide blue eyes.

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_**Harry Potter Engaged?  
**__Felicity Bowman  
January 2__nd_

_Witch Weekly has long predicted that Harry Potter and Miranda Rookwood would be getting married soon, and yesterday it appeared our predictions have been proven correct. _

_Harry, 19, has been in a relationship with Miranda (21) since he was 15 and sources close to the couple state that they had been close for years before that. Whilst neither Mr Potter nor Miss Rookwood have directly confirmed their engagement, there have been several pictures showing an engagement ring on Miss Rookwood's ring finger. If this is proven to be true, it comes at a major turning point in Harry's Political career._

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_**BAL members arrested!  
**__Percy Blake, Criminal correspondent  
February 7__th_

_Three members of the controversial British Action League, the organisation which exists as a support network for the Traditionalist Party have been arrested this morning for casting curses in public, after they attempted to disrupt a Progressives conference. The individuals have not been named by Aurors, however they are expected to go on trial later this month._

_The BAL has seen significant growth in the past year, and now has an estimated membership of 5000-6500, this is not the first time that the BAL have been involved in attacks on other parties and their supporters, in December, Thomas Baker and Seamus Wright were found guilty of burning down a BPP party headquarters building and sentenced to six years in Azkaban. _

_Cont. page. 2_

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_**A New Era!  
**__Thomas Audley, Political correspondent  
February 20__th_

_The Traditionalist Party today announced their complete overhaul. Mr Lucius Malfoy shocked many by stating that he would be stepping down as head of the Party, declaring Harry Potter to be his successor,_

"_The Politics of today belong to a new generation, Mr Potter has proven this dozens of times since joining the party and I have therefore decided to step down from my position within the Traditionalists, and pass the mantle of responsibility to him." _

_Following the announcement, Mr Potter addressed a large crowd in Camelot Square, Bristol, where many thousands of his supporters cheered his new position._

"_Today represents a most important event, to all the citizens of Magical Britain I tell you this, no longer will I allow for the Wizengamot to stand in the way of progress, so long as I am in a position to change things, I swear I will. Britain is One Nation, it is One People, and I offer it One Leader."_

_The Traditionalist party has also announced its dissolution, in it's place Mr Potter has created a new Party, called the National Traditionalist Front (NTF), which he states is the party of the Future, working to better the quality of life for its people, without destroying the traditions upon which this nation was founded._

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"Minister? Dumbledore is outside, he would like to see you." Cornelius Fudge looked up from the novel he was reading and smiled at Umbridge,

"Thank you Delores, send him in." Fudge quickly put the book back into one of his drawers and pulled out a packet of Paperwork he was supposed to be looking over. Not ten seconds later, Fudge looked up to see the twinkling Blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, Come in." Fudge greeted cordially. Whilst the Minister still didn't trust the man, he had long ago decided that Dumbledore was simply too popular to alienate, and therefore had slowly begun to offer a degree of respect back to the ancient wizard.

"Minister, thank you for seeing me."

"Of course, please have a seat." Fudge indicated one of the squashy armchairs that sat before his desk and Dumbledore smiled, sitting back and releasing a long sigh.

"Minister, I thought I might take a little bit of time out from you in order to discuss Harry Potter." Fudge's countenance brightened, Harry had been one of his closest Political Allies in the last year,

"What about him Albus? I know you don't like him, but I truly believe you should give him a chance, he's a brilliant young man." Dumbledore's lips quirked down and he frowned lightly,

"I may not approve of some of his methods, however I cannot ignore his political prowess, that's why I am here to talk to you now." Fudge perked up and watched Dumbledore with interest.

"Indeed?" Fudge asked excitedly, Dumbledore nodded sagely,

"Mr Potter has proven time and again that he can get things done, I would like to suggest that he may be the ideal candidate to fill the role of _Master of Ceremonies _in the Wizengamot." Fudge looked surprised,

"_Master of Ceremonies?" _he asked curiously, "We haven't had one of them for years, why would Harry want to fill it?"

Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head wisely, "Harry is young, and the youth relish a challenge, I believe he would be very honoured if we were to offer him this role."

"Well, it can't hurt I suppose, besides, If we give him the position, it would mean that all three of the main parties in the Wizengamot have a position of power, I am sure the press would love such equal representation." Dumbledore smiled widely,

"I quite agree Minister, it would give a platform for all of our parties to exist on an equal footing, the traditionalists, forgive me, the National Traditionalist Front would undoubtedly be very pleased with such a position."

"Then it's settled, I will offer the position to Harry tomorrow, would you like to be here when I do?" Dumbledore nodded,

"I can see no reason why not, shall we say two o'clock?"

Fudge nodded and Dumbledore stood up to leave, the two men shook hands, and then Dumbledore strolled out the door, whistling softly to himself as he strode through the busy corridors of the Ministry.

_It's a rather desperate move _Dumbledore remarked thoughtfully to himself, _however I have to do something._ He had been becoming rather desperate lately, despite the old Headmasters best efforts, Harry Potter seemed to be going from strength to strength, his rallies received huge crowds and the tabloid press couldn't get enough of him. Dumbledore knew Harry unlikely to ever accept the position of Master of ceremonies, however, he hoped that if he were lucky, his greatest political opponent would be chained to a useless position, from which his influence would be greatly reduced.

As the headmaster stepped through the Floo, he smiled to himself, whilst he was certainly very concerned about the developing situation with the Dark Lord, the man couldn't deny that sparring with an opponent as skilled as Harry was definitely one of the most exciting things the man had done in his time in the Wizengamot.

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"Can you confirm this?" Harry asked, looking up at Evan, the man looked extremely uncomfortable, not that Harry could blame him.

"I have not witnessed it myself, however some of my best agents collected this information." Harry sighed, and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"And your agents are reliable?"

"They are." Rosier replied stonily. Harry shook his head,

"I have said it before and I will say it again, Marcus Flint and I have been friends for the last nine years, unless he directly act's against me, I will not break the trust I have in him." Rosier opened his mouth to argue but Harry held up his hand,

"I don't care what the evidence says Evan, it could have been forged, it could be interpreted in a number of different ways, besides, Marcus is ambitious, but he isn't a fool, he knows that if he tries to seize power he would be unsuccessful." Evan looked unhappy but nodded,

"Very well, but I will post several more agents into the BAL, I want to know if anything is happening."

Harry nodded, "fine, fine." The head of the DS nodded and stood up, as he was about to open the door Harry called him,

"Evan?"

"Yes?" Harry rested his head on his hand,

"Have you told the Dark Lord about your findings?" Rosier shook his head and Harry smiled,

"Please don't, I see no reason for this to go beyond the two of us, do you?" Rosier sighed,

"I don't like it Harry, but for you, I'll keep quiet, for now." Harry nodded his thanks, Evan hesitated for a moment, then left quickly, his Leather Jack boots sounding loud in the deafening silence left behind him.

Harry groaned as he looked down at the thick file Evan had left behind, loathe as he was to admit it, the evidence that Marcus and the BAL were planning some kind of takeover was pretty damning, he had photo's, memories and records of conversations. Whilst Harry was very unhappy with the evidence he had been presented with, he still couldn't deny, The DS had proven themselves very skilled at gaining information.

He spent the next hour reading through the file in silence, Olivia had clearly realised that he didn't want to be disturbed and had cancelled all of his appointments that afternoon. When the clock read 1.45 however, Harry heard a knock on his door.

"Come in." he called, Olivia walked in,

"The minister wants a word Harry, and I've postponed your appointment with Thomas Audley from the Daily Prophet until this time tomorrow." Harry smiled up at his Irish friend and nodded,

"Thanks, did the minister say what it was about?" the girl shook her head,

"No, Umbridge just said he wanted to see you at two o'clock." Harry rolled his eyes,

"Alright, can you come with me?" the girl laughed,

"Afraid of the big scary Minister?" Harry shrugged and she laughed harder,

"Behind that green bowler hat lies a heart of pure ice… probably." Harry wisely informed her,

"Alright, I'll keep you safe, don't worry!" Harry grinned,

"You're a lifesaver, shall we go then?"

Together the two of them went up to the Ministers office, flanked as ever by two stone face DS-Guards, Madame Umbridge was clearly waiting for him when he arrived, and when she caught sight of him she simpered,

"Oh Mr Potter, you're early, well go on in, Minister Fudge is waiting for you." Harry smiled and nodded politely at the unattractive woman, before knocking on the door.

"Enter." Came Fudges voice, Harry pushed open the door and plastered a broad smile on his face,

"Minister, how are you this morning?"

"Good thank you Harry." The minister turned to Olivia,

"I don't think you will need Miss Moran to be present for this meeting Harry." He smiled at Olivia who nodded politely back,

"We have a meeting very shortly after this, bringing her along seemed simpler." Fudge chuckled,

"Not to worry, not to worry, the more the merrier. We are just waiting for Albus and then we can get started." No sooner had he finished speaking then his fireplace flashed green and the figure of Albus Dumbledore suddenly stepped out.

"Sorry I'm late Cornelius, Good to see you again Harry."

"Good Afternoon Headmaster." Harry greeted, Dumbledore quickly sat himself in one of the thick chairs opposite Fudge,

"Now, Harry, The Chief Warlock and I have brought you before us in order to discuss a possible future for you." Fudge began, Harry kept his face interested as he watched Fudge speak,

"Harry, we would like to offer you the position of Master of Ceremonies in the Wizengamot, if you would like it."

The two men watched Harry interestedly, Harry remained silent for a while, watching them, Fudge looked slightly uncomfortable offering him the role, which made Harry suspect it was Dumbledore who had suggested the idea in the first place, this idea was supported when Harry turned to the Headmaster and saw him watching Harry very carefully.

"I am shocked." Harry said carefully, "I was under the impression that this position was typically offered to more… seasoned statesmen." Fudge shifted slightly,

"Well normally yes, that would be the case, However we believe you have the necessary qualifications to perform more than admirably." Harry frowned slightly, He couldn't understand why Dumbledore would expect him to take the role, he had no reason to.

Which meant, he presumed, he was supposed to turn down the position, so Dumbledore could suggest… something. Harry tried to think what Dumbledore would be able to gain from his saying no, there didn't seem to be any benefit to the aged headmaster at all. He sighed audibly.

"Minister, Chief Warlock, I am afraid I cannot in good conscience accept this role." Beside him, he saw Dumbledore stir as the twinkling of his eyes suddenly became less apparent, did that mean Dumbledore had expected him to accept the role? He was confused.

"Given the rather precarious state of affairs that currently exist within the NTF, it would be reckless and disrespectful of me to those relying on me to abandon them, however, when I am in a more stable position, I would be happy to reconsider."

Fudge nodded, looking unsurprised whilst Dumbledore frowned,

"I can't say I'm surprised Harry, I thought I would offer it despite my doubts anyway, I hope you understand."

"Of course Minister, I am very flattered by your consideration." Fudge waved away his words,

"Well, don't thank me, it was Dumbledore's idea really, you should thank him." Harry turned to look at the Headmaster,

"Indeed?" Albus nodded wisely,

"I had thought it a nice next step for your career, I apologise if it came at a bad time for you Harry." His words were polite, but his eyes frosty, Harry smiled politely,

"Not at all, like I said, it is very flattering to be offered the role." Harry stood up, "Minister, If you will excuse me, I must be off."

"Of course, My wife and I are having a dinner party tomorrow for some gentlemen from the Ministry, we would be very happy if you were to join us, of course you are welcome to bring the future Mrs Potter." Fudge winked at Harry,

"Thank you Minister, I think we would both be very happy to attend."

Harry and Olivia left quickly, and when they were out of earshot, Olivia turned to him,

"What was that about?" she asked confused, Harry shrugged,

"I'm not sure, but I have a suspicion it was a very clumsy attempt by Dumbledore to side-line me, however I have a feeling there may have been more to it, nevertheless, I am not concerned." Olivia nodded and Harry shrugged, running his hand through his short hair as he considered just what the hell Dumbledore had hoped to achieve.

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**2 weeks later.**

For possibly the first time since he had joined the Wizengamot, Harry truly didn't know what to do, he was sat outside Voldemort's study, and this time he truly couldn't care about being made to wait, in his hands he held the piece of paper that had turned his life quite so upside down.

_To whom it may concern._

_The actions of the organisation known as the British Action League have become damaging to the reputation of the Wizengamot, Should the BAL not be dealt with in a matter found suitable to the writers of this here warning by Sunday, March 6__th__, the BAL and all associated groups, parties and affiliates will be deemed illegal and dealt with as such._

_Signed,_

_Albus P.W.B Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.  
Amelia E. Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.  
_

Harry reread the note again, even though by this stage he had it essentially memorised. It was clear that his faith in Marcus had been woefully misplaced, the BAL had become more and more aggressive in the past month, with fights between it's members almost commonplace, Harry could have simply blamed this on Marcus's inability to control the group, however given the ever mounting pile of Evidence Evan was delivering to him, it was becoming clear that Marcus was a liability. A dangerous liability with a rather large, rather violent force at his back.

"Harry?" He looked up to see the grim visage of Evan,

"Hey Evan." He greeted tiredly,

"I just got the news Harry, I'm sorry." Harry shook his head wryly,

"It's alright, maybe the Dark Lord is feeling lenient today." Evan looked unconvinced,

"Maybe…" he hesitantly agreed, Harry laughed,

"Marcus has no chance does he?"

"There's always a slim chance…" Rosier suggested, but from the tone of his voice, Harry knew what the man's thoughts really were.

Harry didn't have a chance to reply before the doors opened with an ominous creaking.

"Harry, Evan." Called the Dark Lord, "Come in."

The room was brightly lit, the Dark Lord sat elegantly relaxed in his dark green leather chair and surveyed the two men before him. His gaze eventually came to rest on the file in Harry's hands, and he gestured quickly.

Harry calmly handed it over, and Riddle immediately flicked through, his frown becoming more pronounced as he read further. The silence dragged onwards and it was only after ten minutes that the Dark Lord finally put down the file. There was no amusement in his face, he looked furious.

"I believe you know what must be done Harry?" he asked in a deadly calm voice.

"Marcus must be dealt with."

"Not just Mr Flint, but his lieutenants, his aides, his officers, anyone who may have in any way influenced this plot of his. I want them dealt with permanently."

"Yes My Lord." Harry replied woodenly,

"You had placed a lot of trust in Mr Flint hadn't you?" Harry nodded and the Dark Lord's mouth stretched into a vicious smirk, "you were a fool."

"My Lord, I had no reason to doubt him, none at all." Voldemort sneered but said nothing,

"Having formed your little army, you might as well have Evan use them for this little task." The Dark Lord turned to Evan and gestured in a dismissal, Harry was surprised therefore when the fair haired man turned to look at him.

"Harry?" he asked carefully, Harry nodded once,

"Do what must be done… Do not hesitate… Show no mercy." Harry's voice was firm, his countenance grave. Rosier nodded sharply, pulling slightly at the collar of his black Jacket as he stood up. He bowed to the Dark Lord and left without another word.

The noise of the dark closing behind him sounded very final in Harry's ear.

_Oh Marcus_ he thought sadly, _you have been a fool._

"If that is all my Lord?" Harry asked as calmly as possible, Voldemort nodded and he quickly got up and left, making sure his steps were even and his back straight. Marcus had betrayed him, he tried to think and there was no greater crime than treachery.

The words sounded oddly hollow in his ears.

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Harry didn't sleep at all that night, he sat on the small balcony he had in his flat, a bottle of firewhiskey on the table and eyes trained on the silent city sprawling before him. It was very quiet, but Harry's ears could make out sounds in the dark.

In his drink addled state, he imagine each and every sound he could hear was that of the DS removing another one of Marcus's lackeys. He cursed his weakness silently, pouring himself another drink and returning his eyes to the bright lights that stretched for so many miles before him.

The sun began to rise at six o'clock that morning, Harry remained where he was, the sudden brightening of the sky seemed to shake him out of the deep melancholy he had found himself in. He looked at the now nearly empty bottle that stood next to him, he stared at it listlessly for a few moments before carelessly emptying it into his glass and downing it.

He grimaced at the burning sensation, but it passed quickly and he stood up, his muscles protesting from the sudden movement after so long remaining still.

With very deliberate steps, he walked to the kitchen and quickly spelled clean his glass, before filling it with water. He chugged back the contents and refilled it, repeating the process three more times until he thought he wouldn't be able to drink another drop.

Checking his watch, he cursed under his breath, it was 6.35, and he was expected to be at work and functioning in less than 2 ½ hours. Whilst he was sure that Olivia would take pity on him and give him a fairly empty schedule, he would undoubtedly still be expected to report to Dumbledore and Madam Bones to inform them that he had dealt with the BAL.

As he sat there musing about what a chore the day would be, Harry became aware of a sudden tapping on the window, he turned and saw a post owl glaring at him, a rolled up newspaper held in its talons, he threw open the window with a flick of his wand, quickly trading the birds paper for a few knuts.

The bird blinked imperiously at him before flying away with a hoot, with another flick of his wand, the window closed and Harry was once again left alone. With deft movements he undid the string keeping the paper rolled and flattened it firmly against the work surface.

_**7 Muggles killed by Rogue Fire tongs. **_

Read the headline, Harry looked over the front page in surprise, there was no news of the events of the night before, he flicked through the rest of the paper quickly, and to his surprise found that there was no mention of anything related to the BAL.

The morning passed quickly, and Harry left for the Ministry very early, leaving before Miranda had even woken up, he spent the time behind his desk reading over files and reports, most were extremely dull, regaling the events of some event or other that someone somewhere believed Harry ought to be aware of.

Almost at nine o'clock on the dot there came a knock on the door, he looked up and saw Olivia walking in, her light brown hair tied up in a professional looking bun.

"Merlin Harry, you look terrible... Are you alright?" Harry nodded tiredly,

"Fine, fine, but I'd appreciate a quiet day if you could manage it." Olivia nodded sympathetically and Harry smiled in appreciation.

"Of course, you have a meeting with Andrew Bloom at 10, but I could cancel that if you liked?" Harry nodded quickly,

"That would be nice. Thank you."

"Of course." The Irish girl made a quick note, "Dumbledore left a rather cryptic message, he wants to see you whenever _it _is dealt with, I'm afraid I don't know what _it_ is however." Harry felt a twinge of guilt but forced the feeling to the back of his mind,

"I understand what he means, thank you, was that it?" Olivia nodded and Harry smiled,

"Thank's Liv." The girl nodded and left. Harry looked back down at the reports and was about to return to reading when there came another knock on the door.

"Come in." he called loudly, the door swung inwards, and a DS-Guardsman walked in, Harry recognised from his uniform that he was one of Evan's Lieutenants, though he didn't know the man's name.

The black leather Jack boots clacked loudly against his wooden floor as the man came to a precise halt and saluted.

"Yes Lieutenant?" Harry asked looking up at the man in interest.

"Sir, I have a message from Captain Rosier, he states the mission was a success, and that all the loose chickens have been rounded up." Harry felt the corners of his lips twitch, slightly,

"Thank you Lieutenant, if that is all?"

"Sir." The man saluted again and left, his boots clacking on the floor once again,

"Lieutenant?" Harry called, the man halted and turned, his hand resting on the door knob,

"Sir?"

"Could you get Miss Moran in here please?"

"Yessir."

The door closed behind him, but not ten seconds later was open again, an amused looking Olivia glaring at him,

"You summoned me?" she growled good naturedly,

"Yes I did." He grinned at her, "And frankly it took you a long time to get back here, please improve in the future."

"Don't push me too far, else I might just quit, and frankly you need me to take over the world." Harry chuckled,

"Could you possibly tell Dumbledore I have completed the task he set me please?"

Olivia frowned, "The chief warlock wants you to see him in person." She reminded him, Harry sighed and shrugged,

"I really can't face Dumbledore right now, could you just pass on the message?" The Irish girl nodded quickly and smiled,

"Course I can." She left, and Harry let his head fall back against the padded leather of his seat. He ran his hand through his head tiredly, before returning his attention to his reports.

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_**BAL leaders Missing! **__  
Simon Annick, criminal correspondent.  
March 6__th_

_The leading members of the support group the British Action League, which has become a hugely popular pro-NTF organisation, have vanished, according to officials within the Auror corps, the missing individuals include Marcus Flint, Selwyn Belby, Victor Arcwright, William De Silva and James Copefield, whilst as many as a dozen more are still unaccounted for._

_The BAL, which has received several warnings from the government for their aggressive behaviour and anti-social antics, have failed to respond to the incident, however Harry Potter, leader of the National Traditionalist Front stated _

'_This event is both unexpected and tragic, Marcus Flint and I have been friends since we were eleven years old, and I ask all members of the public and the Auror corps to keep looking, and bring either joy or peace to the missing peoples families.'_

_Cont. page 6, col. 1_

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_**Fudge's Popularity at all-time low.  
**__Thomas Audley, Political Correspondent.  
April 18__th_

_The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has once again come under fire from both his political enemies and also the public following his attempt to pass the hugely controversial Magical Creature registration act. _

_The act, which would require all non-human creatures of near-human intelligence to submit for registration, regardless of whether the species is considered to be dangerous, has been fought virulently by members of Magical Creature welfare groups, as well as Fudges political opponents._

_Cyrus Greengrass of the National Traditionalist Front said 'for a British Minister to attempt to pass such an outdated and unnecessary law is ridiculous, Fudge has clearly demonstrated a total lack of compassion and understanding.' His comments have been supported by his party leadership._

_Cont. Page 2, col. 2_

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"Harry?" The raven haired man looked up,

"Yes love?" he asked, the girl had a small grin on her face as she was looking down at a long scroll of parchment.

"I think you might want to see this." Harry stood up from where he had been sat cross legged on the floor, a book on advanced duelling techniques open on his lap. He walked over and looked down at the rows and columns of figures on the blondes report.

"Fascinating." He breathed, his expression looking enraptured.

"Right?" Miranda asked, looking equally excited, Harry turned to her slowly,

"I haven't a clue what this is trying to tell me." He deadpanned, the girl scowled at him, dragging on his arm and forcing him into the empty seat beside her.

"These" she indicated the top row, "Are dates."

"I guessed as much." Harry replied sarcastically, Miranda's lips twitched slightly,

"Right, these" she pointed to the left column, "are items."

"Again, I could have guessed that." Harry replied,

"Oh shut up." Miranda snapped, though her grin rather spoiled any effect she was going for. "The figures here are costs, look at them."

Harry dutifully obeyed, "okay, someone has been spending quite a lot of money recently." He looked at the title of the page, "The Minister has been spending quite a lot."

"Exactly," Miranda paused, and her smile became more malicious, "Fudge has been spending a lot of money… and it's all the taxpayers." Harry froze and looked at her in shock, before quickly snatching the scroll back from her.

"He spent… 8000 of the taxpayers Galleons… on clothes… in a month?" He asked, his mouth open in shock. Miranda nodded quickly, "how did you get a hold of something like this?"

"Fudge's accountant is away for whatever reason, the files were bumped up to my office." If possible, Harry's mouth fell open even wider,

"You mean… he's not even hiding this?" he asked, his tone completely amazed, Miranda grinned and shook her head. Harry stood up and quickly grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up off the sofa, she shrieked and grabbed hold of him.

"You are brilliant!" he told her, his face centimetres from her own,

"Of course, though in this case, I think it's more Fudge's stupidity than my genius." Harry smiled and leant in for a long lingering kiss, when they finally pulled apart, Miranda smiled,

"Was this worth my distracting you?" she asked with an impetuous grin, Harry chuckled,

"This time perhaps. It may be enough to get Fudge removed from office, If I play my cards right."

"Whoever could replace him?" Miranda asked with a serious look on her face, Harry smirked,

"Who indeed?"

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"Well Harry, you requested this meeting, how may I help you?" asked Riddle, the two of them were walking through the well-kept gardens of Malfoy Manor, the sun was high in the sky, and a cool breeze was blowing through the manicured hedge rows.

"I believe I need your help." Harry replied, his tone as neutral as he could keep it, "We are very close my Lord, perhaps just weeks away from total control." Voldemort looked at him with carefully disguised glee.

"Indeed?" The Dark Lord smiled, "They are rather large words to boast, especially considering your recent… failures."

Harry said nothing, his eyes watching a bumblebee landing on a large purple flower, next to him the Dark Lord stirred,

"Very well, what is it I may be able to do for you?" Harry straightened up from his examination and turned to face the Dark Lord.

"Chaos." The Dark Lord blinked, and Harry expanded, "Well, some chaos, enough to force Fudge to act." Voldemort gazed at him in interest,

"I can manage that, may I inquire what sort of chaos you would like?" Harry waved one hand

"Preferably something big, and public, though not _Dark Lord returns and destroys city _big…"

Riddle smirked softly, "I can manage chaos, it would be nice to stretch my legs after all these years. When do you want this to happen?"

Harry shrugged, "As soon as possible, within the week would be best though, Fudge is desperate right now, I would like to capitalise on that."

"Understood. You will have your chaos, I assure you of it."

Harry allowed his smile to grow into a wide smirk, he could almost taste the success in the air.

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_**Mass Breakout from Azkaban!  
**__Simon Annick, Criminal Correspondent  
April 21__st_

_In the Early hours of this morning it has been reported that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban Prison, currently, ten prisoners have been named as missing, and none have been caught or sighted. _

'_This event is unprecedented' Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office said, 'before today, there has been but one breakout in all of Azkaban's history, the Auror office will be working around the clock to ensure that the dangerous criminals who escaped are recaptured, and would like the public to know that should they see anything remotely suspicious to report it at once.'_

_Amongst the escaped prisoners are the Three Lestranges, Bellatrix, Rudolphus and Rabastan, all confirmed death eaters, also escaped are Antonin Dolohov who was captured in 1981 and Augustus Rookwood, who was captured in 1980._

_The minister has not yet released a statement, however an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot has been organised for tomorrow afternoon in order to discuss an appropriate response._

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"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen him?"

"No, I haven't seen any of them."

Had it been any other situation, Harry was confident that he would have been rather enjoying Miranda's nervousness, the normally so reserved girl was holding his hand very tightly, and he could hear her shallow breathing from where he stood.

"You will stay with me the whole time?" she asked, looking at him nervously,

"Of course. I will stay as long as you want me."

"Thank you." They reached the high wooden doors of Riddle Manor, and Harry casually pushed them open, Miranda squeezed his hand even tighter as they entered the dim house and she looked around nervously.

"Harry?" Lucius Malfoy called, "Miranda, good, your father has asked to see you."

Miranda smiled as politely as she could,

"How is he?" she asked, her tone wavered a little, but Harry was impressed by her self-control,

"Well enough, he's still rather weak, but that will go, mentally he has survived his ordeal incredibly well, far better than the others to be honest."

"Truly?" she asked, Lucius nodded,

"Indeed, though I am not surprised, Augustus worked in the Department of Mysteries, if there is any way of resisting the Dementors effects in the long term, I suspect the Unspeakable's are aware of it." The tall blonde man smiled, and Miranda nervously returned the gesture.

"May we see him?" Harry asked, Lucius nodded and motioned with one arm for them to follow him. They rose to the second floor and the Malfoy patriarch halted outside a plain wooden door.

"I will leave you here, Harry, Miranda, he would appear to be mentally well, however I would recommend you keep your wands at the ready, Azkaban changes people. Never forget that." Harry nodded, remembering the mad look in his father's eyes and turned to look at Miranda.

The girls ice blue eyes were wide, and she was looking at Harry nervously, Harry smiled encouragingly and squeezed her hand, whilst his other rose and knocked three times on the door.

"Come in" croaked a voice. Harry pushed open the door to reveal a medium sized brightly lit room, all the windows were open, and warm light was diffused across the entire floor. There was a large bed in the centre, and a small desk opposite it.

A tall man, with curly fair hair was sat in a window seat with his eyes closed. His face was deathly pale, and in the bright warm sunshine, his skin appeared almost translucent. He turned to face them and Harry saw that he had the same bright ice blue eyes as his daughter, though his were sunken and appeared weary.

"I hadn't seen the sun for 17 years." He stated in a low, gravelly voice. "I had forgotten how warm it was." He turned back to the window, and smiled widely. With one hand at the small of her back, Harry gently pushed Miranda forward until she was around five metres from her father.

With a very deliberate motion, Augustus turned back to look at them in silence, his bright eyes taking in every detail of Miranda's face, he completely ignored Harry.

"You look just like your mother, perhaps you are even more beautiful than she ever was." He croaked, he stood up slowly, and Harry saw that although he had been washed, groomed and put in elegant robes, it was obvious that the man was very thin and weak.

"It is good to see you again father." Miranda replied formally, the man smiled, revealing rotten yellow teeth,

"As it is you my daughter, I have been awaiting this moment since my imprisonment." He raised one skeletally thin hand, and gently ran his fingers down her cheek, "just like your mother." He croaked once more, more to himself Harry thought.

Slowly, the man pulled Miranda into a hug, at first she looked shocked, but quickly reciprocated hugging him back with gusto. With slow steps, Harry retreated, giving the two some privacy.

"And who is this?" Augustus eventually asked as he pulled back from the hug. Miranda turned to Harry and smiled. Stepping forward, Harry offered the man his hand,

"Harry Potter sir. It is good to see you free once more." The man laughed, the sound was rough and coarse, like gravel crunching underfoot.

"Sir? I don't think a convict like me deserves titles boy, but I agree with your second point, it is good to be free." Harry smiled as the man too his hand and shook it, Harry was surprised by how strong his grip was.

"So, my dear, who is this? Your boyfriend?" his voice wasn't aggressive, but Harry made sure his wand was in easy reach, even as the man continued to tightly grip his hand.

"He is my fiancé father." The elder Rookwood blinked,

"Fiancé?" Miranda nodded, Augustus looked at Harry shrewdly, "Are you a good man Potter?"

"Probably not." Harry replied honestly, Miranda's father laughed again,

"At least he's honest, I knew your father Potter, he was a right bastard, even for a death eater." Harry said nothing, and Augustus finally released his hand, Harry retracted it casually, ignoring his desire to rub the painful appendage.

"Have you got money Potter?" the man asked,

"I do."

"what about a job?"

"Harry will probably be Minister for Magic next week." Miranda replied, a touch of pride in her voice.

"Indeed? And what are your intentions towards my daughter?" Harry snorted slightly,

"I have asked her to marry me, I would imagine that would indicate my intentions well enough." Augustus cackled,

"True, true, I like you boy." Harry nodded at the compliment, "When's the wedding?"

"We haven't set a date." Miranda replied, Augustus nodded and opened his mouth to ask something else when there came a knock on the door.

"Come in." The elder man called, the sound slightly less hoarse than it had been. The door swung open and the Dark Lord walked in, closely followed by a tall witch with curly black hair and a heavy brow.

"My Lord!" Augustus knelt slowly, clearly struggling, beside him Harry felt Miranda stiffen,

"Rise my friend, rise." Rookwood stood, though the motion was rather wobbly. "I see you have met your daughter, she has grown into an excellent woman, you should be proud."

"I have my Lord, and I am, she has become a fine young Lady." Miranda smiled slightly,

"Indeed, and of course, Mr Potter." Riddle looked at Rookwood, clearly waiting for an opinion, Augustus looked at Harry quickly,

"He seems adequate." Voldemort chuckled and nodded,

"Harry is one of my most trusted, whilst he has been trying on occasion, he is rather brilliant. Your daughter chose well." Harry dipped his head slightly at the compliment, whilst the elder Rookwood looked at him with newfound respect.

"Harry, Miranda, this is Bellatrix." He indicated the woman behind him, who was looking at the Dark Lord with such adoration and unadulterated love that Harry was surprised she wasn't humping his leg. From the look in her eyes, which were glassy and somewhat unfocused, Harry realised quickly that she was rather like James Potter had been, and wondered if the Dark Lord knew some secret to cure people of such problems.

"Harry, if you don't mind, I would like a word." Harry turned to look at Miranda, who smiled at him and nodded confidently. Harry gave the back of her hand a gentle caress and then turned back to the Dark Lord,

"Of course My Lord, I would be happy to."

"Good, we can leave the Rookwood's alone to catch up."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH

**One day Later**

"Indicative of your entire reign as Minister." Diggle was shouting, "You have failed to heed our repeated warnings and now, now you have paid the price!" There was a smattering of applause from the right hand side of the hall, whilst the rest of the room booed loudly.

"Mr Diggle, I resent your accusation, to suggest that the attacks of the other day were the actions of you-know-who is outrageous." Fudge replied "there is no evidence to support your claims, you are merely trying to incite a panic!" The BPP clapped and nodded, Diggle stood up again to defend himself,

"Are you suggesting that it was coincidence that ten death eaters all decided to escape at the same time?" Diggle shook his head, "It is because of your constant budget cuts to the Auror that have caused this problem, under your watch Minister, the Ministry can no longer keep the streets safe."

The Progressives clapped loudly, and when the NTF saw Harry in support of Diggle, they quickly began to cheer as well. Fudge looked at them, anger shining in his eyes. Harry nudged Lucius and the man stood up.

"May I ask, that instead of acting like petulant children arguing over who stole the cauldron cake, we may discuss what measures we must take to ensure the safety of our people?"

Whilst Lucius' words had the desired effect of starting a debate about what to do, it was slow to make any progress, Harry sighed as the Minister and Dumbledore bandied around words over who should be let go to fund the Aurors. Harry sighed as the conversation carried on and on.

Eventually, after over an hour of useless argument, Harry stood up. He felt a surge of pride in himself when the entire hall fell silent and turned to look at him.

Taking a deep breath, Harry turned to look at Fudge.

"Minister, Chief Warlock, honourable members." He bowed slightly, "The Minister has correctly stated that something must be done, the escaped convicts are of course, a terrible problem, and must be dealt with as soon as possible." There was a mutter of agreement.

"However, I must ask the Minister how he can justify shutting down Ministerial positions to fund the Aurors." There was a murmur of confusion,

"There is not enough money to increase the size of the Aurors and not reduce the size of the rest of the Ministry." Fudge said, as though he were talking to a child, there were laughs around the hall and Harry smiled good naturedly, holding his hands up to ask for quiet, the Hall quickly fell silent and Harry continued.

"You raise a good point Minister, I have heard countless declarations by members of this body, members of British industry and too many citizens of our country to name, state how we are in such a weak economic position." The hall was deathly quiet, a sixth sense had pervaded the very air of the country, as everyone could tell that something big was coming, Dumbledore looked curious, Fudge nervous.

"And Yet!" Harry called loudly, drawing a tightly wound roll of parchment from within his robes, "and yet, I have here evidence that our Minister and numerous members of his party have been illegally stealing tax payers money and using it to fund their extravagant lifestyles and opulent hobbies!"

As he was finishing, he was forced to shout as a storm of protests rang out around the hall, members of the BPP were shaking their fists furiously at Harry, a few had drawn their wands. In less than a second Harry was surrounded by half a dozen DS-Guards, who kept their wands sheathed but watched the opposition carefully.

_BANG! BANG! _Dumbledore's wand went off with a start and the hall was startled into silence.

"Mr Potter has a right to be heard, and must be allowed to finish!" he called loudly, the BPP gradually returned to their seats, though they still muttered loudly amongst themselves.

"Thank you Chief Warlock." Harry nodded, "The proof I have for these claims are a matter of public record, and I would happily share with anyone who wishes it, It details members of the British Peoples Party accepting bribes, siphoning millions of Galleons away from near every department and having the taxpayer foot the bill as they went off dragon hunting in Chechnya!"

There was a fresh round of shouting, though it lasted nowhere near as long as the first.

"The worst part of this heinous crime, I say is not necessarily the fact that they stole this money, oh no, it is the fact that those sour apples that exist within our government, are so confident, nay, so arrogant, that they made no effort at all to hide their crime. The BPP is a party founded on a lies and empty promises, they have proven themselves in the last decade and a half to be institutionally corrupt and sacrificed their principals on the Alter of Expediency. I therefore call…"

His voice was overwhelmed by the storm of shouts and protests that erupted from the centre of the room. Harry kept calm, even when a bright orange spell was sent from someone on the inside of the mass of furious bodies, Harry merely flicked his wand and the jet of light dissolved in mid-air. The shouting and counter shouting from the rest of the hall grew in volume, Dumbledore's cannon like wand bursts made no effect.

Eventually, after seven or eight minutes of shouting, and several exchanges of curses, the great doors at the far end of the hall burst open, and two dozen Aurors burst inside, their blue and black uniforms snapping as they hurried to form a barrier between the BPP and the NTF. They were joined a few seconds later by 30 black clad DS-Guards, the Aurors seemed suspicious at first, but evidently decided the situation was rather too perilous to bother arguing at that point.

Finally, when the Aurors had installed silence once more, Harry was allowed to continue. He strode forward, hopping up onto the stage and walking to stand before Fudge, who looked completely betrayed, and more flustered than Harry had ever seen him.

"The BPP has proven their true colours today, they are arrogant, corrupt and thuggish. I therefore feel it is my duty to call for a Vote of No Confidence in our Minister and his Government!"

**AN**

**As some of you appeared to be bored of all the politicing, I decided to finish the Second (political) arc in one very long chapter, rather than two medium ones, so I hope you all appreciate that!**

**Please Review**

**Love you all**

**Marshall**


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